Argentine football has been paying tribute to Francisco Varallo, the last survivor from the first World Cup Final in 1930, who has died in his home town of La Plata, aged 100.

Varallo, was inside forward in the Argentina side who lost 4-2 to Uruguay in Montevideo’s Centenario Stadium. In a birthday interview interview last February, he said that Argentina had lost through “a lack of courage” after leading 2-1 at halftime.

Recalling 1930, he added: “I achieved a lot of nice things in my career: I represented the national team and was Boca’s record goalscorer. However, in my whole life I’ve never felt such a bitter pain as losing that World Cup final against Uruguay in 1930. How I cried that day! Even now when I look back it still makes me angry.”

Varallo won the league title with home town club Gimnasia y Esgrima in 1929 during the amateur era before joining Boca Juniors. He won three professional league titles between 1931 and 1936 but was forced to retire through injury aged 30 in 1940. He became a youth coach with Boca and with Gimnasia.

Varallo’s 194 goals for Boca set a record broken only this year by Martin Palermo.

The difference between success and failure in football is often measured in inches, and so it proved for Uruguay and star striker Diego Forlan last night.

With the last kick of the game in the third-place playoff against Germany, Forlan’s free kick cannoned off the crossbar and Germany held on for a 3-2 win.

Inches lower and Uruguay would have taken Germany to extra time and Forlan would have become outright leading scorer at the tournament.

It wasn’t only Forlan’s five goals that were inspirational, he led his team with dignity – never falling to the whining ways or dives of many of today’s superstars.

Forlan and the Uruguayan squad should be proud of their African endeavours.

Germany demolished Argentina and Spain beat Paraguay by one goal in a quarter-final of extraordinary drama on Saturday as Europe took revenge on Latin America to dominate the World Cup.

The results mean three European sides and Uruguay will contest next week’s semi-finals. South America had dominated the early stages of the World Cup, but Germany’s 4-0 crushing of Diego Maradona’s side was the second time in two days that a European power had sent home one of the two Latin American favourites, following the Netherlands’ shock defeat of Brazil on Friday.

Spain had to fight long and hard against a tough Paraguay before Spanish hitman David Villa, the tournament’s top scorer, took the only goal – his fifth of the tournament – in the 83rd minute after substitute Pedro’s effort bounced off an upright.

Earlier both sides missed penalties in a frantic spell in the second half. Spanish keeper Iker Casillas saved Oscar Cardozo’s penalty and three minutes later Xabi Alonso’s first try for Spain was disallowed for encroachment. Paraguayan keeper Justo Villar saved the second.

In the semi-finals Spain will face Germany, who handed Argentina their worst World Cup defeat in 52 years, outplaying them all over the pitch despite the presence of World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, who was mostly stifled by defenders.

Germany and Spain will play in Durban on Wednesday while Uruguay face the Netherlands on Tuesday in Cape Town.

Uruguay reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1970, beating Ghana 4-2 on penalties yesterday after the last African team in the tournament was denied victory by a handball and a missed penalty in the last seconds of extra time.

The two-time champion Uruguayans advanced to face the Netherlands in the semi-finals after Sebastian Abreu casually chipped the last penalty straight down the middle to secure the win, after a 1-1 draw following 120 minutes of play.

The Netherlands produced a stunning second-half comeback to reach the semi-finals as Brazil’s World Cup imploded in a dramatic game in Port Elizabeth.

After taking an early lead through Robinho’s cool finish, the pre-tournament favourites were pegged back following an awful defensive mix-up early in the second-half and were found wanting in defence again soon afterwards when Wesley Sneijder headed in.

Brazil found themselves in even deeper trouble when Felipe Melo saw red for stamping on Arjen Robben with 17 minutes to go and, although Dunga’s side gave everything in a thrilling finale, they crashed out in the quarter-finals for the second successive tournament.

It is the Netherlands who will go forward to play Uruguay in the semi-finals and they have blown this World Cup wide open.

It was unfortunate that two of our favourite teams had to play each other last night but Argentina’s victory has set up an intriguing quarter-final rematch against Germany, who knocked them out of the tournament four years ago in Berlin. Two goals from Carlos Tevez and one from Gonzalo Higuain secured a 3-1 win over Mexico in Johannesburg. Argentina manager Diego Maradona is confident his team will beat Germany in Cape Town on Saturday to progress to the World Cup semi-finals.

Two of the best attacking sides in the tournament square off today as Brazil take on Chile. These were the top two teams in South American qualifying, and know each other very well. The thought of Brazil playing at full tilt from the first minute against an attacking Chilean team presents an exciting prospect.

Latin American football fans never need much excuse to get excited, but the region’s best start to a World Cup in years is fuelling the fiesta and giving them a shot of sporting pride.

Six out of seven Latin American teams at the World Cup have qualified for the knockout phase in South Africa, compared with just four at the last World Cup in Germany in 2006.

Slick football from teams like Chile and Uruguay as well as traditional giants Argentina and Brazil has seen the region’s teams thrive.

In Buenos Aires, the early exits of fancied European nations such as Italy and France have fuelled hopes that national icon Maradona can coach Argentina to victory.

It is the Brazilians, however, who are brimming with the most confidence. Two-thirds of them believed they would win the World Cup in South Africa, compared to 48 percent of Argentinians, 15 percent of Chileans and 12 percent of Mexicans, according to a survey commissioned by Brazil’s Ibope polling firm.

After 23 games it is the teams from Latin America that are lighting up the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay have sparkled, while others like Chile and Paraguay have done enough to suggest that a place in the next knockout phase could be theirs for the taking. And much-fancied Brazil have made their presence felt even if less emphatically than expected, winning 2-1 against minnows North Korea, despite dominating the match. Along with Argentina it is perhaps Mexico that have impressed the most in South Africa. Mexico’s next game is against Uruguay on 22 June and with Argentina likely to lie in wait for the Group A runners-up, Aguirre’s team will be looking to win to ensure they avoid Lionel Messi and co. Uruguay will win the group if the game is drawn.

There’s been plenty of moaning done about the World Cup so far but there can be few complaints about the entertainment on show yesterday.

Argentina produced arguably the performance of the tournament so far to dismantle South Korea and Mexico put France on the brink of an early exit.

Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain scored a hat-trick as Argentina saw off South Korea at Soccer City to all but book their place in the last 16 of the World Cup.

Higuain struck once in the first half and twice in quick succession after the break as Diego Maradona’s side made it two wins out of two in Group B and fired another warning that they are one of the teams to beat in South Africa.

It was the first World Cup hat-trick since Portugal’s Pauleta in 2002 and the first from an Argentine since Gabriel Batistuta in 1998.

Two second-half goals gave Mexico their first ever victory over France to leave El Tri well-placed to make the last 16 and the 2006 runners-up on the verge of elimination.

Mexico were the brighter of the two throughout but were unable to take any of their chances until just after the hour, when Manchester United-bound substitute Javier Hernandez broke the offside trap and rounded keeper Hugo Lloris before slotting home.

Another Mexican substitute, the 37-year-old Cuauhtemoc Blanco, sealed the victory from the penalty spot after Pablo Barrera had been felled in the box.

It leaves Mexico level at the top of Group A with Uruguay and a draw between those two sides in their final game in Rustenburg would put France out of the tournament.

Volunteer Latin America would like to wish the seven countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay and Uruguay) representing the region the very best of luck at the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It would be wonderful to see any of these teams lift the trophy in Johannesburg on 11th July but realistically only two of them have a chance of doing so.

Brazil head to South Africa looking to confirm their position as the best international team in world football by winning the World Cup for a sixth time. Brazil’s World Cup pedigree cannot be disputed, the fact that they have won the competition more times than anybody else speaks for itself. Many critics have questioned the current Brazilian team and whilst it may not be as good as past teams, it is still a collective of world class players that will strike fear in to the eyes of any opponent. We believe Brazil have the pedigree, history and players to make it six of the best come the final whistle of the World Cup final come 11th July.

To win the World Cup you need at least 20 very good players, and if that’s the case, then Argentina, now coached by its most iconic player, Diego Maradona, is well positioned. The team features the current world player of the year, forward Lionel Messi, and the drop-off from there is not precipitous. If they can get it together for six, seven matches, they also have the players to win the World Cup. Maradona and co have a fantastic opportunity to silence all their critics once and for all.

Although Paraguay are long shots to win the World Cup they are a good bet to advance out of Group F into the knockout round. Paraguay beat Brazil and Argentina on their way to South Africa and have reached the last 16 in two of the last three World Cups. The squad boasts huge attacking talent with Cardozo, Santa Cruz and the emerging Barrios. One of the above strikers is a great outside punt for the golden boot if they plunder New Zealand.

Other notable mentions go to Chile and Mexico who should both have enough talent in their line-ups to advance out of Groups A and H. The games between Chile and Switzerland, and Mexico and Uruguay, will play a big part in deciding which Latin American teams advance out of their respective groups to the second round of the competition.

Looking into our crystal ball we see a South American team and a European team in the final on 11 July 2010: Brazil versus Spain. Brazil are a fantastic unit with some exceptional players (Alves, Kaka, Lucio, Maicon, Robinho, etc) and stand out as clear favourites for us.

Diego Maradona has vowed to strip naked if he guides Argentina to World Cup glory in South Africa on 11 July.

Argentina are among the favourites for success at the showpiece tournament despite only scraping through the South American qualification programme.

And Maradona, who lifted the trophy as captain in 1986, claims he will streak around one of Buenos Aires’ most famous landmarks (EL Obelisco) should Argentina end their 24-year wait for the trophy.

What a scary proposition!