© Reuters 2002

By Rex Gowar

MIYAGI, Japan, June 12 (Reuters) - Pre-tournament favourites Argentina departed the World Cup depressed but convinced they deserved more and had done all they could to reach the second round. "That's a cycle of four years over for the national team, we were unlucky," veteran striker Gabriel Batistuta said after Argentina's 1-1 draw with Sweden left them in third place in the so-called Group of Death and out of the tournament.

"We had 25 chances and they put one in from a free kick," added Batistuta, who confirmed it was his last match for Argentina in his third World Cup, Sweden midfielder Anders Svensson put his side ahead with a free kick in the 59th minute and, despite intense pressure, Argentina could only manage an 88th-minute equaliser by substitute Hernan Crespo after an Ariel Ortega penalty was saved.

Coach Marcelo Bielsa's face showed no emotion. "I feel a great sadness and disappointment," he said. "To be favourites is a presumption prior to playing. Afterwards you have to confirm that in practice and we didn't." Batistuta has scored 56 goals in 78 internationals and 10 in World Cup finals. "I would have liked to have played alongside Crespo but that's a decision for the coach," he said on a subject that had obsessed the team's followers in the build-up to their first match, a 1-0 win over Nigeria 10 days ago.

Crespo, who was in tears during post-match interviews, came on for Batistuta in all three of Argentina's matches. Until this year, Argentina reached the second round at least in every World Cup tournament they played in since 1962 in Chile.

BIELSA BACKED
The team backed Bielsa to the hilt, with senior players like Batistuta and Juan Sebastian Veron, both captains at different stages in the group games, saying they had full faith in him. "I never got depressed at being left out," Veron, tipped as a player of the tournament before it started, said of his exclusion from the starting line-up on Wednesday.

"It's the Argentina shirt. I'm at the team's service. We trust in the coach," he added. Veron was substituted in Argentina's 1-0 defeat by England on Friday and only came on for the final half hour against Sweden, helping his side to come back from one goal down and press for a late elusive winner. Diego Simeone, captain when Argentina reached the quarter-finals under Daniel Passarella in France four years ago, had planned to quit the national team if they won the crown.

"I don't want to talk about the future in the heat of the moment," said Simeone, who increased his Argentine caps record to 106 in the tournament although he remained on the bench against Sweden. "Argentina played more football than England, Sweden and Nigeria and went out," he added. Javier Zanetti said: "We did everything to win, we didn't spare anything, we practically played in our opponents' half and we're left with nothing."

Bielsa said he thought his team had played better against Sweden than in the 1-0 defeat by England. "Today our build-up was very superior to that against England. Each chance we created we had plenty of players on the end of it." Speaking mostly in short sentences, Bielsa gave no clues about whether he would remain as coach of Argentina.

"My contract finishes at the end of the month," he said. "For now I have nothing to say. If I have to talk about it, at the time I will do so."