Mexico advances despite loss to Portugal

BERLIN -- Mexico will play in the second round of the World Cup for the fourth straight time.

The Mexicans lost 2-1 Wednesday against already-qualified Portugal, but still advanced because Angola was held to a 1-1 draw by Iran in the other Group D match.

Later, Argentina held the Netherlands to a 0-0 draw to clinch first place in Group C. Ivory Coast got its first win, coming back from two goals down to beat Serbia-Montenegro 3-2.

In the second round, Portugal will face the Netherlands on Sunday in Nuremberg, while Mexico plays Argentina on Saturday in Leipzig.

Portugal played without several starters in Gelsenkirchen because it had already qualified for the second round for the first time in 40 years.

Maniche and Simao Sabrosa scored in the first 25 minutes, and Mexico's Omar Bravo missed a chance to equalize on a second-half penalty kick that soared over the net. Francisco Fonseca, also known as Kikin, headed in a corner kick to put Mexico back in the game before halftime.

The Portuguese extended their unbeaten run to 17 international games, during which they have allowed just six goals.

-- AP