Brazilian soccer skills: Robinho stepover

By Tim Vickery South American football reporter

AC Milan's Kaka capped a late lone break with a composed finish

Anyone who left the Emirates Stadium early on Sunday should be regretting it.

The last five minutes of the Brazil-Argentina match produced two moments of sheer individual genius in totally contrasting styles.

Kaka's magnificent goal was a complete showcase of his strengths.

The 24-year-old Brazilian is a splendidly direct player, strong in possession with a sustainable acceleration comparable to the Millennium Falcon.

His pace running with the ball is exceptional, and he can cover the entire length of the field and still find a composed finish at the end of it.

It was the strike of a player who is deadly when given space to run into.

Just before Kaka made it 3-0, 18-year-old Argentina striker Sergio Aguero - on his international debut - came up with something very different but equally impressive.

Coach Basile pointedly refused to confirm Riquelme as captain for future matches

Where Kaka used the whole pitch as his stage, Aguero pulled out some magic in a space little bigger than a telephone box.

The Brazilian goal seemed in no danger as he picked up possession on the left edge of the penalty area and there were plenty of yellow shirts around to block his progress.

But with a feint here and a two-yard burst there he made room for his masterpiece, a clever little chip that sat up and begged to be smacked into the net.

To his eternal shame, Federico Insua skewed a left-foot volley horribly wide, but Aguero's undressing of a packed defence will live on in the memory of many who were there for north London's first South American derby.

These individual moments are worth dwelling on for two reasons.

Aguero showed why Atletico Madrid paid �15m for his services in May

First, as a tribute to the talent of South American players.

Secondly, because it would be unfair to read too much into the collective side of Sunday's game.

This was not a World Cup match, the end product of months of planning. It was almost a case of "straight off the plane and onto the pitch".

The process left Argentina at a disadvantage. Their coach Alfio Basile does not officially take charge for another two weeks. He is still the boss of Boca Juniors.

Brazil, meanwhile, had already played a game under Dunga - a 1-1 draw with Norway some two-and-a-half weeks earlier. Their extra preparation time was clearly visible on the pitch.

Dunga can be pleased, though, that it looks like time well spent.

The split striker relationship between Fred and Robinho was excellent, giving the team the fluidity to get the ball quickly into dangerous wide spaces, where their flank partnerships also clicked nicely.

For Argentina, Basile's second spell in charge kicks off with some question marks.

Can he really afford to play without a target man centre-forward? And what will he do with Juan Roman Riquelme?

Captain on Sunday, the playmaker made little impact - Brazil having blocked his favourite options for diagonal passes. And his presence appeared to leave the holding midfielder with too much to do.

In the post-match press conference, Basile pointedly refused to confirm him as captain for future matches.

So there are some early headaches for Basile, while Dunga will have more difficult days.

But one thing is sure. As Kaka and Aguero made clear, coaches of Brazil and Argentina are unlikely to lack outstanding individual ability.