Argentina's Copa filled with "only sadness and tears"

"There are no words for this, only sadness and tears," said a visibly moved Heinze.

 "I think we played a great Copa America. My question is, what was lacking? What did we do wrong when we were so close? We did everything. Sacrifice, rest, will, professionalism. ... Not for nothing football is great."

   Argentine captain Roberto Ayala did not have a good day in Maracaibo. He failed to block Julio Baptista's shot that put the score 1-0 in the fourth minute, and he scored an own goal that made things 2-0.

 "They found the first goal fast, and the second was a misfortune," Ayala said. "That allowed them to manage the game."

   He said the team still hoped to mount a comeback in the second half, but Brazil "dominated."

   Like Heinze, Ayala stressed that the lost final "should not erase all the good things Argentina did in the tournament." Through the first three rounds, Argentina had dominated the field and were heavily favoured against a Brazilian squad lacking some top stars.

 Esteban Cambiasso indicated that "key situations" changed the game.

 "Those small situations defined the course of the game," Cambiasso said. "Is it fair? I don't know. Brazil won the Copa. In the changing room we were devastated."

   Young star Lionel Messi also looked shell-shocked at the end of the final but admitted that Brazil dominated Argentina on the pitch.

 "We could never control the match," he said. "We had bad luck."

   Argentina was set to fly to Buenos Aires early Monday.

DPA