Argentina and Netherlands are both advancing from the group of death to the next round. The Ivory Coast just could not get that equalizer that would have kept them in with a hope.

The Dutch look to have a good side but so far they don't look to be a great one. Fortunately they still have time to make some adjustments before confronting the real power.

As for the Ivory Coast, it's the second time in a row that they fell behind by two goals in the first half. No team can afford to give a rival a two goal start in a World Cup match. They are a nice team going forward but they have defense problems. They had more opportunities than the Dutch, but they just couldn't convert those chances, I think that is their chief failure. Before packing their bags for home, the Ivory Coast now have only pride to play for in the basement battle with the Serbians. But on the other hand, they should be proud of the impression they had made in their first World Cup finals.

Dutchman Robin van Persie is my "man of the match". He conceded a goal, had a part in the Ruud van Nistelrooy goal, and cleared a lethal goal for the Dutch. If he had not been on hand to clear when Drogba's header bounced into the six-yard box and towards the Dutch goal, the Ivory Coast would have had a draw.

Now, the "group of death" is dead.

By Zhenyu Li, sports writer for PD online
The article represents the writer's views only