Adriano made plenty of people forget his more famous -- but missing -- teammates when he netted a 93rd-minute equalizer against Argentina in the Copa America final. AP

Legendary Argentina boss Cesar Menotti said that soccer is a "game of episodes": a series of events which, while related, are not necessarily linked. And some episodes matter more than others. The nutshell of Menotti's musing is this: a team can dominate for 90 minutes and lose in the final seconds, often to a freak event, whether an individual mistake by a player or a referee or a moment of inspired (and unpredictable) genius.

Argentina did not quite dominate Brazil in the Copa America final, but, on balance of play, probably deserved to win. Instead, Adriano's dramatic last gasp equalizer helped the world champions to a dramatic 2-2 draw, before dismissing Argentina on penalty kicks.

Marcelo Bielsa, Argentina's taciturn coach, opted for a more defensive lineup, dropping center-forward Luciano Figueroa and effectively playing without a front man, as Carlos Tevez, the nominal striker, likes to drop deep. Bielsa's plan was to congest the area around Brazil playmaker Alex, whose job it was to supply the stellar striking duo of Adriano and Luis Fabiano.

The plan worked. Alex only seemed to pop on set pieces, the front two were isolated and Argentina kept possession intelligently, making good use of the wings (where Javier Zanetti and Juan Pablo Sorin seemed to be in perpetual motion) and threatening down the middle with Tevez and Luis Gonzalez.

Dovetailing with the fact that Brazil was playing essentially with its B-team (Kleberson was the only man who had played in the last World Cup.), Bielsa' strategy drained much of the explosiveness out of the Brazilian attack, with both of the world champions' goalsh goals coming from free kicks. Still, despite the lack of its regulars, Brazil's second choice strike force of Adriano and Luis Fabiano would probably be first choice for all but a handful of nations, which speaks volumes about the world champions terrifying strength in depth.

In the 90 minutes, Brazil paid the price for its relative inexperience compared to an Argentina team which could count on Roberto Ayala and Fabricio Coloccini at the back, and Zanetti, Sorin and Kily Gonzalez out wide. But then, even in following Menotti's "game of episodes", the turning point of a championship is often determined by superstars, men who are capable of great things at key moments. In the 93rd minute, Adriano shrugged off Ayala's challenge, tamed the ball in a crowded penalty box and struck it sweetly past goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri.

Then and there, the momentum shifted. Even with everything left to play for in the spotkicks (there is no extra time in the Copa America), you could sense that Argentina's heads had dropped. The penalty kicks seemed like a formality at that point: galvanized by the last gasp heroics, Brazil was never going to lose.

Argentina can look back and feel a little bit aggrieved. Bielsa set out to win this tournament, which is why he called up so many veterans. For him it was supposed to be a way to forget the stinging disappointment of 2002. In some ways, he can be proud. Except for the surprise 0-1 defeat to Mexico in the group stage, Argentina looked in control in every match of the competition, getting stronger as it went on, culminating in the 3-0 pummeling of Colombia, who had played some of the best football up to that point.

Brazil, on the other hand, was inconsistent, as young teams often are. It took a last minute goal from Luis Fabiano (and a missed penalty by the Chileans) to grab three points in the opening game. After rolling over Costa Rica, Brazil faltered again, losing to Paraguay, 2-1. It bounced back with a 4-0 shellacking of Mexico, only to hit the skids against Uruguay in the semifinal, a game it won only on penalties.

With so many stars missing, there's a danger in reading too much into the results. Nevertheless, there are a few conclusions to be drawn:

	MAILBAG Gabriele Marcotti will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

• Bielsa's 3-3-1-3 formation does work, provided he has the right men at his disposal.

• Tevez is a superstar in the making, though comparisons with Diego Maradona are premature.

• Brazil remains the most talented country in world soccer. Hands down. While Adriano, the tournament's top scorer with 7 goals, and Luis Fabiano (who could be headed to Barcelona or Roma this summer) grabbed the headlines, others, such as defender Juan, goalkeeper Julio Cesar and midfielder Renato will be pushing the veterans for a spot in the "real" Selecao.

The Copa America remains an unusual tournament, growing like a weed in the middle of a congested calendar. Until CONMEBOL provides some serious reform, it won't match the European Championships in terms of media interest, star power and organization. But in one area, perhaps the most important, the 2004 Copa America was miles ahead of its European counterpart: the quality of the football and the excitement of the matches.

And that's not a bad place to start...

Mailbag

I truly believe that Michael Ballack should be rated as one of the best players in this past European championship. He is one of the small number of midfielders who can defend well and strike well, both with his feet and head. What do you think of him as a player and what do you think he needs to improve on so that he would be considered one of the best midfielders in the world?

Thank You

Wassim
Lebanon

Ballack is without question one of the most talented central midfielders in the world, yet he is also something of a tactical enigma. While he played well at Euro 2004, he was mediocre at best for Bayern last season. Indeed, Ottmar Hitzfeld struggled to build a midfield around him which suited his talents.

In my opinion, he does not defend particularly well, which means whatever team he plays on, he needs to have a genuine holding midfielder behind him (like he did at Bayer Leverkusen with Carsten Ramelow). Yet the problem with playing him at the tip of a diamond formation is that he doesn't have particularly good vision and tends not to create chances for the strikers, preferring to advance and shoot on goal himself, or get into the box to wait for a cross. It's a tricky dilemma, because a coach wouldn't want to curb his attacking instincts, yet, at the same time, he has a tendency to unbalance a team. With Ballack you pretty much need to build a team around him. One solution could be playing him in a side with just one forward, an attacking midfielder alongside him, and a holding player behind him.