Group D's two highest-placed teams in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, Portugal (seventh) and Mexico (fourth), both made it safely through to the Round of 16. FIFAworldcup.com takes a look back at how Luiz Felipe Scolari's men won all three of their games, extending the Brazilian coach's run of consecutive victories in FIFA World Cup™ finals matches to ten.

Mexico made much harder work than expected of their qualification, while Angola's two draws and one narrow defeat represent a very promising debut at this level. As for Iran , they produced some attractive attacking play but suffered from a lack of consistency.

In the second round, Portugal will play Netherlands on 25 June in Nuremberg, the day after Mexico take on Argentina in Leipzig.

Portugal move through the gears
With captain Luis Figo in inspired form and Barcelona schemer Deco directing operations from midfield, Portugal clearly have the resources to play more flamboyant football. But for the moment, the team are infused with a thoroughly Scolari-like sense of discipline, helping them prevail in the type of games they would have lost not too long ago.

The harmonious marriage between two generations has spawned an effective blend of hard-nosed pragmatism and extravagant play which makes Portugal very serious outsiders. Mexico, meanwhile, may have come to Germany with lofty ambitions, but are currently only providing a minimum service. In their last game at least, the Tricolores showed that they did not leave all their good qualities on the other side of the Atlantic and, with a little more luck, might have got the draw their performance deserved.

Angola embrace steep learning curve
Angola have discovered that the FIFA World Cup is a tournament where the slightest error is invariably punished. Caught cold by Pauleta in the fourth minute of their opening game, the Africans then came back strongly to claim two creditable draws. If they had possessed a touch more punch in attack, they could well have extended their German adventure. As for Iran's third FIFA World Cup campaign, their porous defence (six goals conceded) may have meant they picked up just one point but they can content themselves with having showed plenty of quality in midfield.

The best match: Angola 0-1 Portugal
Not fazed at all by the momentous occasion of their first FIFA World Cup match, the Angolans made a remarkable entrance to the tournament, albeit a losing one. Having suffered an early sucker punch in the shape of a smart finish from Pauleta, the Palancas Negras recovered to push the Portuguese all the way. Had they been more efficient in the final third, they could even have got an equaliser, but one thing is for sure: the match kept all 45,000 fans on tenterhooks.