He can rarely have played better than in the first 45 minutes, when he wrestled control of the vital midfield area from his Manchester United colleague Juan Sebastian Veron.

BBC: Owen and Butt lead the charge

But the real drama is likely to take place in the heart of midfield where Lazio team-mates Juan Sebastian Veron and Diego Simeone come up against Dennis Wise and David Beckham.

BBC: News Online

Five minutes later, Argentina were unfortunate not to be back on level terms when a header from Juan Sebastian Veron found Juan Roman Riquelme in space but his shot came off the post.

BBC: Brazil victorious in Copa America

Gabriel Batistuta, Pablo Aimar, Herman Crespo and Juan Sebastian Veron are all considered among the best players in the world and it will be major surprise if Argentina fail to reach the last eight.

BBC: Argentina's road to the finals

There is sure to be speculation as to who will now be for the chop, but Ferguson has been firm in his support for Juan Sebastian Veron and Laurent Blanc, who have received most criticism this season.

BBC: Ferguson plans reshuffle