'It's beyond our worst dreams'

In Buenos Aires, a night of hope and promise turned into a night of despair.

Restaurants and bars stayed open late to cater for the thousands of fans who believed their team could climb back after its draw with Nigeria and defeat by England and beat Sweden to progress through to the next round.

In the streets klaxons blared, and the crowds in the cafes around the Obelisk in the city centre raised their glasses in expectation that things would at last come right for Argentina and everything that had gone before in Group F had been a mere hiccup.

But, after Sweden held on grimly and nothing Argentina threw at them made any difference, Argentina were out of the World Cup.

In Buenos Aires they wailed and roared their disbelief, and then wept into their wine. Sports journalist Marco Vargas said: "Even before today's national disaster we didn't have much to crow about. Our currency has effectively ceased to exist, all our savings have been swallowed up - and winter is about to descend upon us.

"Success in the World Cup would at least have taken our minds off the doom and gloom at home for a few weeks.

"But our failure to qualify for the second round for the first time in 40 years makes our domestic problems pale into insignificance.

"Today's result was beyond our worst dreams. Our team, which we and many others firmly expected to lift the Jules Rimet trophy, will now be catching the first plane out of Japan and returning home to a welcome which is likely to be lacking in sympathy.

"We know what's it like to be World Champions. Now we're first-time losers. Never mind drowning our sorrows, most of us feel like throwing ourselves in the river Plate."