AP

Argentina celebrates

Peru coach Julio Cesar Uribe stated before the game that his team had been preparing well and if they were able to translate that on the pitch they would have a fantastic game.

Uribe's idea was clear from the beginning, stop Lionel Messi, Diego Milito, and the Argentine fullbacks.

Peru gave Argentina control of the ball. They were confident they would recover the ball and counter attack with Claudio Pizarro and Paolo Guerrero, but Uribe did not take into account that giving Messi the ball would be a bug mistake.

The young Argentine striker was close to scoring on several occasions in the first half. However, Messi was not able to break through the Peruvian defense. The Argentine keeper barely broke a sweat in the first half.

For the second half Basile brought in Carlos Tevez for Diego Milito, in order to give the team more speed. In the second minute of the second half Juan Roman Riquelme made the game 1-0 with a rocket from outside of the box.

That goal put Peru into panic mode. Javier Mascherano scored the 2-0 after scooping up a rebound left after a fantastic shot by Messi. Messi made the 3-0 after Riquelme made a surgical pass that left Messi one-on-one with the keeper. Riquleme scored the fourth for Argentina and closed the scoring.

Line Ups:

4 - Argentina: Roberto Abbondanzieri; Javier Zanetti, Roberto Ayala, Gabriel Milito, Gabriel Heinze; Juan Sebastián Verón (Fernando Gago, m.71), Javier Mascherano, Sebastián Cambiasso (Pablo Aimar, m.83); Juan Román Riquelme; Lionel Messi and Diego Milito (Carlos Tévez, m.46).

0 - Peru: Leao Butrón; Miguel Villalta, Santiago Acasiete, Edgar Villamarín (Israel Zúñiga, m.64); Walter Vílchez, John Galliquio; Paolo de la Haza, Juan Carlos Balazar, Juan Carlos Mariño (Andrés Mendoza, m.74); Claudio Pizarro and Paolo Guerrero (Pedro García, m.54).

Goals: 1-0, M.47: Riquelme. 2-0, M.61: Messi. 3-0, M.75: Mascherano. 4-0, M.85: Riquelme.