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By Gerardo Mart??nez G??mez

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- It was supposed to be Mexico's most talented team in a generation. The old excuses for failure were to be locked away. The pain of El Tri's World Cup exit is the same -- or maybe more.

"It hurts because of the effort of the players, because of the elimination, because of the fans," manager Javier Aguirre said reflecting on Mexico's 3-1 loss to Argentina on Sunday. "We had legitimate dreams of playing a better match than we did, and it is clear that the two main errors changed the match.

"One can do an analysis of the lineups, the substitutions, but it's clear that with two horrible errors, it's tough to come back."

Aguirre said that Argentina's first goal by Carlos Tevez, which was allowed despite television replays showing him offside by two meters, was a blow to Mexico's spirit that it could not overcome.

"That error is what broke us down, and is what made us lose our concentration," Aguirre said. "We went to the linesman and there was confusion for several minutes, and I think that it took us off our game."

Within seven minutes, center back Ricardo Osorio gave the ball away just outside his own area, enabling Gonzalo Higuain to swoop in and capitalize on a defensive gaffe to double the lead.

"We started well. We had chances. We were scaring them, and, for me, the game was even. In front of us was Argentina, who's not just any team, but I feel that the two goals were the determining factor," Aguirre said. "If they are dominating you, moving all over the field, it's one thing, But they were perfectly avoidable goals, and from there it was difficult even though we tried in the second half."

Mexico's captain Rafael M??rquez agreed that the missed call by Italian referee Roberto Rosetti affected the team, sending Mexico home from the World Cup for the fifth straight time in the second round.

"Being eliminated that way makes you sad because you are out due to such a big error by the referee, despite the work that you have done," Marquez said. "When these things happen, you can't be happy, as it wasn't a good job by the officials, but you can't do anything."

It was the second straight time Argentina had eliminated Mexico in the second round. M??rquez suggested that this loss hurt more than four years ago in Germany.

"Four years ago they defeated us fairly and now it was with help and don't think that a team like Argentina needs that," he said

The defender, who hopes to continue with Barcelona where he has two more years left on his contract, acknowledged that scoring is one area Mexico must improve upon.

"The balance is positive, but we can't be satisfied because we wanted more, and, once again, we ended up here," he said. "We didn't finish even though we had chances because we can't create five chances and only score one. We have to be more effective."

And Carlos Salcido was blunt that El Tri failed on its expectation to make history.

"Personally, this hurts. I am not going to say anything because everything we say is going to sound like excuses or like we are blaming the whole world," he said. "The reality is that we are out. History repeated itself and that's what hurts."