The moment that Javier Mascherano saw red, you knew the Albiceleste were in trouble. You just don't give back a man advantage without it becoming the turn in a parable - a lesson on not taking opportunities for granted.

Argentina had been given their gift when Diego Perez, the veteran Uruguay midifelder who scored his first international goal in the fifth minute, fulfilled a destiny he avoided when he only saw yellow for a second minute. That was a red card offense, though the match official, Carlos Armarilla DeMarqui, disagreed. Three minutes later, Perez put Uruguay ahead, but when the official again reached for his yellow in the 38th minute, Perez gave the hosts a paved path to the semifinals.

By that time, Gonzalo Higuain had equalized, and with Argentina controlling the tempo throughout much of the match, only some heroics fromCeleste `keeper Fernando Muslera kept Sergio Batista's team from translating their control into goals.

And so stood the match in the 86th minute when Mascherano, Argentina's captain, decided to give his team's gift back. The match was still 10 minutes from the whistle that would end regulation, giving the hosts 40 minutes to find another goal. With Lionel Messi giving his typical stellar performance (when he wasn't picking himself up from errant Uruguayan tackles) and Gonzalo Higuain stressing the seems around Diego Lugano and substitute Andres Sotti, Muslera would have been hard pressed to keep a dream performance going through the second hour. Asking him to provide more than his gasp-inducing foot save on a Carlos Tevez direct kick would have been too much (even though he provided so much more).

The one Argentine who failed to live up to the hype was the one player Sergio Batista was loathe to include in the team. The only player to miss a penalty kick, Carlos Tevez barely seemed interested in executing his chance. Perhaps it's just an extension of Tevez's personality that he steps up and rips it, and perhaps us Tevez fans have to take the bad with the great. But against Uruguay, his spot kick was a disappointment. Five feet to Fernando Muslera's right and thigh high, the attempt was easily saved by the Uruguayan `keeper, proving the difference in the match.

And so Sergio Batista, who will undoubtedly be dismissed after such an early exit, is left to rue not holding his ground on the Tevez issue. With the public clamoring for El Apache's inclusion in the weeks before the tournament, the coach - entering his first major competition in charge of Argentina - not only gave in, but he put Tevez in his starting XI. It was a surprising but welcomed reversal, Batista electing to forget the transgressions that had originally cast Tevez out of the fold.

But Tevez never worked. Only when Tevez was pulled out of the lineup did Argentina start to click. Now, with Argentina out by the error of Tevez's laces, Batista will be tempted to second guess his forgiveness.

That's too easy of an out. In truth, Tevez's saga in the Batista era will be a mere footnote. In time, nobody will care how Argentina failed, only that they did. It's a legacy Batista may never live down, and while you can argue that the Albiceleste's been broken for some time - that the distribution of talent on the team makes forming a coherent squad an underappreciated challenge - the bottom line won't be forgiving: Squad with best player of his generation eliminated two rounds too early in tournament played on home soil.

Goodbye, Argentina. Goodbye, Sergio Batista. No excuses required.

The one Argentine who failed to live up to the hype was the one player Sergio Batista was loathe to include in the team. The only player to miss a penalty kick, Carlos Tevez barely seemed interested in executing his chance. Perhaps it's just an extension of Tevez's personality that he steps up and rips it, and perhaps us Tevez fans have to take the bad with the great. But against Uruguay, his spot kick was a disappointment. Five feet to Fernando Muslera's right and thigh high, the attempt was easily saved by the Uruguayan `keeper, proving the difference in the match.

And so Sergio Batista, who will undoubtedly be dismissed after such an early exit, is left to rue not holding his ground on the Tevez issue. With the public clamoring for El Apache's inclusion in the weeks before the tournament, the coach - entering his first major competition in charge of Argentina - not only gave in, but he put Tevez in his starting XI. It was a surprising but welcomed reversal, Batista electing to forget the transgressions that had originally cast Tevez out of the fold.

But Tevez never worked. Only when Tevez was pulled out of the lineup did Argentina start to click. Now, with Argentina out by the error of Tevez's laces, Batista will be tempted to second guess his forgiveness.

That's too easy of an out. In truth, Tevez's saga in the Batista era will be a mere footnote. In time, nobody will care how Argentina failed, only that they did. It's a legacy Batista may never live down, and while you can argue that the Albiceleste's been broken for some time - that the distribution of talent on the team makes forming a coherent squad an underappreciated challenge - the bottom line won't be forgiving: Squad with best player of his generation eliminated two rounds too early in tournament played on home soil.

Goodbye, Argentina. Goodbye, Sergio Batista. No excuses required.