Argentina defeated the Netherlands in a penalty shootout (4-3) to progress to the semi-finals of the World Cup after a dramatic evening of football in Qatar on Friday.
35-year-old Lionel Messi, in what is surely his last World Cup, looked to be inspiring them into the semi-finals with something to spare after brilliantly creating Nahuel Molina’s opener before the break, then making it 2-0 from the spot in the 73rd minute.
Argentina were comfortably sailing towards the semis until 10 minutes from time. Then they squandered the 2-0 lead in the 11th minute of stoppage time when Holland hit back with substitute Wout Weghorst who scored two late goals to send the game into extra time.
Aston Villa’s keeper Emi Martinez was Argentina’s hero in the penalties, saving the first two Netherlands spot-kicks from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis as the eventual victory margin was 4-3.
After the match, Messi said he felt a “lot of joy and relief. We suffered far too much due to how everything progressed. Argentina play when we need to play, we run a lot when we don’t have the ball. We needed this joy.”
Argentina’s record in the World Cup
Argentina will meet Croatia in the semi-final on Tuesday. Earlier on Friday, the Croats knocked-out favorites Brazil also on a penalty shoot-out.
It will be the nation’s fifth World Cup semi-final after previous semi-appearances in 1930, 1986, 1990, and 2014. Argentina won the world cup twice—once in 1978 and in 1986. They have been runners-up three times in 1930, 1990, and 2014.
La Albiceleste came into this tournament as favorites having gone a streak of thirty-six matches unbeaten.
However, despite wishing to extend their record to thirty-seven to equal that of Italy’s, Leo Messi and team unexpectedly lost their first match of the group stage with a score of 2-1 to 51st-ranked Saudi Arabia in one of the most shocking games in FIFA World Cup history.
On Saturday, Portugal take on Morocco and World Cup Champions France face England to complete the four teams who will battle it out for a place in the final
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