Argentina edged past the Netherlands to reach the World Cup semi-finals and keep Lionel Messi’s hopes of a crowning glory alive, but only after throwing away a 2-0 lead and winning a penalty shootout.
Messi got the ball rolling in the shootout, while Emiliano Martinez saved the first two Dutch penalties. Enzo Fernandez missed the chance to win it with his effort but that opportunity came back around for Lautaro Martinez to send La Albiceleste through.
Messi and Nahuel Molina had given Argentina their lead in normal time, only to see a remarkable late Netherlands comeback spearheaded by Wout Weghorst off the bench.
Although two of the most popular and talented teams at this tournament, it was a very cagey start to the game from both sides, with neither creating anything at all of note in the opening 20 minutes. With half an hour played, only shots well off target from Messi and Steven Bergwijn were of note.
When the first shot on target did come, it was a team effort from Rodrigo de Paul and an easy save for cult hero Dutch goalkeeper Andries Noppert. But it seemed to mark a change in the game nonetheless because Molina’s opener came almost straight after.
The goal was made by Messi, who picked the ball up in midfield, suddenly changed his pace and then picked a through pass to Molina that defied logic as to how he’d seen the run from the wing-back. The Atletico Madrid player just instinctively poked it over the onrushing Noppert.
The remainder of the first half threatened to get a little tetchy as tempers flared and yellow cards were dished out at will by referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, even to Weghorst on the bench.
Louis van Gaal was aware enough that things weren’t working for his team in the first half – Frenkie de Jong needed to be much further up the pitch to make the right impact – that he made a double change at half-time to try and get it moving.
Aside from his stunning assist, Messi’s impact on the game and on Argentina’s hopes at this World Cup was summed up in a passage of play just after the hour mark. He jostled for the ball in his own half, drove forward before receiving it back and then winning a free-kick off a frustrated Virgil van Dijk. The 35-year-old struck the set-piece himself and rippled the roof of the net as it just missed.
A disappointing Dutch side still weren’t creating much and Argentina got the breathing room that they were craving with around 20 minutes to go. Denzel Dumfries was suckered into sweeping the legs of…
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