"I'm not satisfied, we wanted to win the group but I think Argentina made it difficult for us," goalkeeper van der Sar said.

    Defender and stand-in captain Roberto Ayala insisted their eleven were unconcerned before the game about who their second round opponents would be, saying: "The aim has been achieved. The team is growing game by game.

    "It made no difference to us whether we set up a match against Mexico or Portugal. They are both rivals to be much respected."

    The Netherlands looked as bright as their orange shirts with a much spark display in the second half. They've put together a string of slick passes but still don't having the required edge inthe final third of the field.

    "In the second half we became a bit more dominant. Our organisation was good and, if we can bring a bit more footballing quality, it may be time for us to start winning," Dutch coach Marco van Basten said.

    Phillip Cocu has a shot after Rafael van der Vaart took a tumble under the advances of Fabricio Coloccini in the Argentine penalty area in the 66th minute, but it missed the target.

    Even at the last moment, the Netherlands did not give up their desire of attacking when Van der Vart crossed hoping for a last-ditch goal.

    There's been some cracking rivalries between these two sides since the 1978 World Cup final, which Argentina won 3-1. The most recent tournament memory was the two sides' quarter-final in 1998, which the Netherlands won courtesy of Dennis Bergkamp's strike. Enditem