Argentina advance to semis after dramatic shootout win over Netherlands
BYE BYE: Argentina players celebrate after their victory in the penalty shoot out over the Netherlands in the World Cup quarter-final at the Lusail Stadium. Pic: Peter Byrne/PA
They who were silent are now in song.
Emiliano and Lautaro Martinez opened Argentine lungs anew as the Lusail Stadium broke the sound barrier on a Friday that became a Saturday and both days ended up being this World Cup’s most dramatic. In the end it was the Albiceleste who were the last ones standing and singing after a breathless quarter-final that went all the way to penalties before Croatia had a semi-final dance partner.
A contest that looked to be coasting towards its most romantic conclusion found a wild twist as Argentina lost their heads, their hearts and briefly their voices in a chaotic final 17 minutes of normal time when they had all but booked a semi-final date that was a lot less daunting than the projected path.
But this World Cup has laughed at projections and predictions and the like and here it howled so long that night became morning before we saw through the Oranje haze.
What did we see? A Lionel Messi goal, from the spot in the second half, which had followed his most immaculate perception in the first when an all-time assist set up Nahuel Molina. Argentina had been 2-0 up and cruising, the Dutch largely ineffective. But Louis Van Gaal had one last masterstroke to pull. Faced with going home, he went big and sent 6’6” Wout Weghorst into the fray and saw the giant pierce a huge hole in Argentine hearts.
Weghorst hauled his side back into it seven minutes before time with a gorgeous header. Then 11 minutes into 10 of injury time, the Dutch pulled off a free-kick routine that will go down as the bravest if not the most brilliant in recent times. Teun Koopmeiners stood over it and instead of shooting slid a low ball to the feet of Weghorst and the striker, on loan in Turkey from Championship Burnley, burst the bubble of the greatest player of the modern era.
After an extra-time when Spanish referee Antonio Mateu tried to regain control and everyone tried to catch their breath, goalkeeper Martinez saved the first two Dutch efforts from the spot and his namesake buried the winner to send the Dutch packing on a day that won’t be forgotten. It had been dramatic even before we got here.
Over at Education City, the Croatians handed out yet another lesson in getting the job done beating Brazil, also from 12 yards. All of which meant that this game, already so richly infused with history and pedigree and finality for both Messi and Van Gaal, was now given an added edge. On offer, a place in the semi-final against not Brazil but a Croatian side coming off back-to-back marathon nights.
The reaction of Argentine journalists in the Lusail media centre told you they saw this as Qatar opening up before them, a feeling confirmed once you got out on to the ramps and gangways here. For his part Van Gaal was as straight as he’s ever been, telling Dutch TV before kickoff ”It's fantastic that Brazil, a top favorite, are defeated by Croatia.”
The 71-year-old has left nothing unsaid in his last rodeo. Opposite him, Lionel Scaloni made just a single change in personnel but a leap, tactically. In came Lisandro Martinez but into a back five as Argentina went lighter in midfield in an attempt to go like for like. Van Gaal’s response? "It shows that Argentina are afraid of us,” he said. “It's difficult for a team to suddenly try this.” They made it look not too difficult at all. While there wasn’t much in the way of action until Messi made his 35th minute run and pass from the gods, Scaloni’s switch was working. It quickly became a chess match.
And while chess can be intensely boring for the bystander, the stakes ensured this was intense and impossible to look away from. By night’s end the boredom would be long forgotten. On 22 minutes Messi took his first sight and swing at goal and it went high and wide but he’d be back 13 minutes later for his visionary assist.
The clock showed 35 minutes and of all the other things that went through Messi’s head in the six and half seconds he carried the ball, you wonder did he ponder the fact that Molina had gone 24 international matches without ever scoring. Somewhere he saw something none of the rest of us did. It was glorious.
Van Gaal changed things up at half time, bringing in Steven Berghuis and Koopmeiners. But as his team tried to find a foothold and dig into Argentine territory, they were having little joy. That’s how it stayed until midway through the half when Denzel Dumfries’ tired legs trailed and tripped Marcos Acuna on the very first blade of the box.
Antonio Mateu pointed to the spot and the Albiceleste lungs readied to release all over again. Messi stared down Andries Noppert and froze him, the keeper barely moving as the ball rippled into the side netting. They looked all but there. They were nowhere close.
Faced with going home, Van Gaal went big. Weghorst was sent in with 12 minutes to go to partner fellow lanky sub Luuk de Jong and met a gorgeous Berghuis delivery with seven minutes to go. It was 1998 all over again, but the 2-1 was in Argentina’s favour. If only they’d realised it and found calm.
Instead there was chaos. Mateu flashed four yellows and could have doubled that in the 17 minutes between Weghorst’s first and the brainless foul which led to the second. Substitute German Pezzella shoved over Weghorst on the edge of the box. Koopmeiners waved Gakpo away and stood Berghuis down too. When the world expected a shot, it got a twist. Koopmeiners slipped a low pass to Weghorst who held off his man and bundled it past Emiliano Martinez.
A cluster of orange went wild but the Argentines raged at Mateu. Things got heated again and by the time extra-time began we had 13 players and coaches booked.
Extra time mostly came and went until a deflected Enzo Fernandez effort rippled the back of the net but it was the wrong side of the goal. It stirred new noise. Fernandez rattled a post at the death just for a final chaotic stamp on the contest.
To penalties we went and when Martinez got low to stop Van Disk’s opening effort, Dutch hearts sank. Messi stepped up and scored before Martinez saved again, this time form Berghuis. The Argentines were there and even had the luxury of missing one winner, Enzo Fernandez sending his effort wide. But Lauturo Martinez settled it and the Argentines sang on til the small hours became big again.
Noppert 6; Timber 6, Van Dijk 6, Ake 6; Dumfries 6, De Roon 4 (Koopmeiners HT), F De Jong 6, Blind 6 (L De Jong); Gakpo 5 (Lang 113); Bergwijn 5 (Berghuis HT), Depay 5 (Weghorst 78).
Weghorst (83, 90+11).
Timber, Weghorst, Depay, Berghuis, Van Dijk, Bergwijn.
E Martinez 7; Molina 8 (Montiel 106), Romero 7 (Pezzella 78), Otamendi 6, L Martinez 7 (Di Maria 112), Acuna 6 (Tagliafico 78); E Fernandez 7, Mac Allister 6, De Paul 6 (Paredes); Alvarez 7 (L Martinez 82), Messi 9.
Molina (35), Messi (73, P).
Samuel, Acuna, Romero, Martinez, Paredes, Scaloni, Messi, Otamendi, Montiel, Pezzella.
Antonio Mateu (ESP) 5.
88,235.
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