Argentina Beats Uruguay and the Weather, 1-0 : Pasculli Scores Game’s Lone Goal Just Before Halftime, Then Comes the Rain

To the north of Cuauhtemoc Stadium, beyond the green fields and farmlands, the mountain they call Malintzi rises sharply into the sky.

There is a vague malevolence about it, a sense of foreboding perhaps, as if the mountain held some dark secret beneath its jagged peaks.

For a while Monday afternoon, Malintzi bothered no one. Viewed from high atop the stadium’s west grandstand, it was nothing more than a pleasant backdrop to the drama being played out below.

But as Argentina and Uruguay, two longtime rivals from opposite sides of the Rio de la Plata, played for a berth in the quarterfinals of the World Cup, a berth both former champions desperately wanted, the mood would change. The soft blue skies would turn ugly.

In the end, the favored Argentines, led by Diego Maradona, won, 1-0, but the score alone does not tell the story. This was a drama far more complex than that.

For a good portion of the first half, however, it appeared that the teams were more interested in doing a slow dance around one another, probing for possible weaknesses rather than trying to strike the first blow.

True, in the 12th minute, Maradona had neatly escaped the defensive shackles of Daniel Batista and sent a pass spinning across the open goalmouth, only to see teammate Jorge Valdano’s diving header fly wide of the right post and Valdano end up in a heap in the net.

And true, Maradona’s own free kick from more than 20 yards out in the 22nd minute had slammed into the Uruguayan crossbar and then ricocheted clear, much to the relief of goalkeeper Fernando Alvez.

But other than these two near misses, the game stumbled along without any clear direction, perhaps hampered by somewhat overcautious refereeing of Luigi Agnolin. The Italian, worried about a repeat of Friday’s Uruguay-Scotland fiasco, kept a tight rein on the players. In the early going, there were more whistles than at a dog show.

And then, out of nowhere, came the goal that sealed Uruguay’s fate and moved Argentina toward a quarterfinal meeting with the winner of Wednesday’s England-Paraguay game.

It was scored, as so many goals are, just a few minutes before halftime. With Argentina once again on the attack, Jorge Burruchuga slipped the ball to Valdano, Valdano sent it to Pedro Pasculli, and Pasculli cooly side-footed it into the net from close range.

There was time left in the half for Uruguay’s Enzo Francescoli to loft a shot over the Argentine crossbar and then it was over. Uruguay was 45 minutes away from elimination.

It was during the break that the sky began to darken and, by the time the players returned to the field, heavy rainclouds obscured Malintzi’s highest peak.

Less than three minutes after the restart, Maradona, playing a magnificent game, was at it again. Sprinting down the right sideline, he pushed the ball past defender Eduardo Acevedo, leaped over the Uruguayan’s scything attempt at a tackle, rounded a second defender, Jorge Barrios, to the right of the net and again sent a perfect pass across the goalmouth.

This time, it was Pasculli who flung himself at the ball, missed and wound up, like Valdano beforehand, in a tangle in the net.

Five minutes later, Maradona, now ranging down the left wing, fed Pasculli on his outside, Pasculli sent the ball on to Burruchuga directly in front of the goal and Burruchuga pulled the trigger. Somehow, goalkeeper Alvez, who was sprawled on the ground, reached up and slapped the shot away.

Three times Argentina had come close and three times it had been denied. Perhaps the gods--or Malintzi--had a surprise in store for the Uruguayans, who took heart from each Argentine miscue.

With 25 minutes to play, the mountain had completely disappeared, hidden by a fast-moving rainstorm. The wind began to rise in the open-ended stadium and, soon, fat drops of rain began to spatter on the grandstand roof.

The sky darkened, and so did Uruguay’s mood. The stadium lights came on as the rain grew heavier.

Argentina, which had taken the field in blue jerseys and black shorts, now looked to be in all black, the rain having drenched the jerseys. Uruguay, in all white, had its uniforms plastered to the players’ bodies.

Meanwhile, Maradona scored what looked to be a legitimate goal, but it was nullified because of a foul. A little later, Uruguay, in a desperate attempt to tie the game, sent all 10 field players into the Argentine half, risking an Argentine breakaway.

Thunder rolled over the stadium as lightning flashed. While the final curtain was minutes away, the fans sought cover under plastic bags.

With 90 seconds to go, there was time for one last Uruguayan charge. Ruben Paz got off a powerful shot, but Argentine goalkeeper Alberto Pumpido made a diving save. Francescoli was called for fouling Pumpido, causing arguments all around.

During the final seconds, there was one more foul. Maradona, while breaking down the left wing, was brought down by Miguel Bossio and referee Agnolin blew his whistle one last time as the game ended.

Bossio pulled Maradona up and the two rain-drenched rivals walked together off the field.

At Guadalajara, Socrates and Josimar scored their second goals of the tournament as Brazil ousted Poland from the World Cup with a 4-0 victory.

Also scoring for Brazil were Edinho and Careca, whose goal on a penalty kick tied him for the tournament scoring lead with four.

The favored Brazilians, seeking an unprecedented fourth world soccer championship, have not allowed a goal in the competition. They advanced to a match on Saturday here against the winner of today’s game between defending champion Italy and France.

Poland, which finished third in two of the last three World Cups, was a disappointing third in Group F and scored only one goal in four games.