Shooting Stars

LUSAIL, December 10

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Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout to keep Lionel Messi’s World Cup dream alive after the Dutch had snatched a 2-2 draw from the jaws of defeat in an extraordinary quarterfinal.

Emiliano Martinez saved the first two Dutch penalties to give Argentina a huge advantage and Lautaro Martinez sent Andries Noppert the wrong way to set up a date for the South Americans with Croatia in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Messi celebrated with arms aloft in front of the massed ranks of Argentina fans, his hopes of securing football’s biggest prize at the fifth attempt intact for a few more days. “Argentina are among the four best in the world because they show that they know how to play every game with the same desire and the same intensity,” said the seven-time Ballon D’or winner.

A third bench-clearing brawl of the match was the backdrop to Messi’s celebrations as some of the Dutch players, distraught after coming so close to one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history, clashed with their Argentine rivals.

A total of 16 yellow cards were shown throughout the contest by Spanish referee Antonio Mateu and Dutch wingback Denzel Dumfries was sent off after the final whistle for his part in the final brawl.

Apparently on their way home at 0-2 down with only seven minutes of normal time remaining, the Dutch had scored twice through substitute Wout Weghorst to send the match to two scoreless periods of extra time.

Messi, almost inevitably, had played a major role in giving Argentina their lead.

While it was Nahuel Molina’s goal that put Argentina ahead in the 35th minute, it was Messi who unlocked a suffocating Dutch defence that had snuffed out any previous chances. Taking the ball 40 metres out, the 35-year-old ghosted to his left in front of a wall of markers before sliding a pass back to the right to Molina on the edge of the box. The wingback took a touch and poked the ball past onrushing goalkeeper Andries Noppert to send the vast majority of the 88,235 crowd into paroxysms of delight.

There was more delirium for the Albiceleste faithful in the 73rd minute when Messi slapped a penalty kick in the right midriff of the net after Dumfries had fouled Marcos Acuna on the edge of the box.

With tactics more reminiscent of Sunday park football than Total Football, the Dutch got back into the contest by bombarding the Argentine area with high balls aimed at their tall target men. They were rewarded with a goal in the 83rd minute when Steven Berghuis crossed from the right and his fellow substitute Weghorst headed the ball past Martinez’s dive. The Argentines held onto their lead until 11 minutes into stoppage time when Teun Koopmeiners cleverly reversed a free kick and found Weghorst free to put the ball past Martinez and level up the match. — Reuters

5Argentina have won the most shootouts — five out of six — in World Cup history. Netherlands have lost three of their four shootouts, and only Spain (four losses) have a worse record

FIFA charges Argentina

FIFA opened a disciplinary case against Argentina for the players’ actions during their quarterfinal against the Netherlands. The governing body cited “order and security at matches” in its disciplinary code for charging Argentina’s federation. Argentina’s substitutes and coaches encroached on the field as the game turned confrontational in the late stages as the Dutch scored two late goals to force extra time. There were more heated exchanges on the field after Argentina won the penalty shootout. Ap

Messi snarls, taunts

Whether it was in the rule book or not, Lionel Messi was going to do just about anything to get to the semifinals. Fans saw another side to Messi in Argentina’s wild penalty-shootout victory over the Netherlands — a side that can only really come out in the most pressure-filled occasions. Everyone knows about his outrageous skills, his mesmerising dribbling ability and his relentless goalscoring. But here he was at Lusail Stadium, scrapping, snarling, taunting. There’s a street-fighter mentality that is never far from the surface when it comes to Argentina’s national team and it revealed itself against the Dutch in a match that boiled over on numerous occasions. Messi was right in the middle of it all. Not least when, soon after scoring a penalty to put Argentina 2-0 ahead, he stopped in front of the Netherlands dugout and cupped his hands around his ears. It appeared to be a jibe toward outspoken Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal, who said before the game that his team would look to take advantage of Messi’s perceived lack of work rate off the ball. The gesture mimicked a goal celebration sometimes used by former Argentina playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, who reportedly had disagreements with van Gaal when they were both at Barcelona in the early 2000s. At the end of the game, Messi could be seen gesticulating at the 71-year-old Van Gaal and also went face to face with Edgar Davids, a member of the Dutch technical staff. AP