FIFA World cup: Argentina's Emiliano Martinez the hero after Netherlands fight back
Lionel Messi scored a goal and an assist in a 4-3 penalty shootout win over the Netherlands that advanced Argentina to the semi-finals, after a 2-2 draw at the end of extra time.
Emiliano Martinez and Lionel Messi were the two heroes for Argentina.Argentina looked sure to advance to the semi-finals after a goal and an assist from Messi. But a special brace from Wout Weghorst sent the game into extra time.
Emiliano Martinez was the star of the penalty shootout, saving attempts from Virgil van Dijk and Teun Koopmeiners.
Enzo Fernandez converted his penalty, and Luuk de Jong gave the Netherlands hope, but Lautaro Martinez scored the winning goal to make it 4-3 for Argentina in the shootout.
The defeat was Louis van Gaal's first since starting his third spell as Netherlands coach. The 71-year-old is now retiring from management for the second time.
Messi's magic looked to have brought about a comfortable win for Argentina after he gave Nahuel Molina a good assist and converted a penalty in the second half - but Burnley striker Weghorst had other ideas.
Spanish referee Antonio Mateu handed out 14 cautions as players from both sides were involved in more than one melee.
Messi's no-look backpass not only rattled two Premier League title holders defenders (Van Dijk and Nathan Ake) but was perfectly weighted to allow Molina to score his first international goal before the captain extended the lead with a superb penalty after Marcos Acuna - suspended for the semi-finals for an earlier caution - had been brought down by Denzel Dumfries.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LIONEL MESSI IS TWO WINS AWAY FROM WINNING HIS FIRST WORLD CUP! 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/Mr6BoHqw3S">pic.twitter.com/Mr6BoHqw3S</a></p>— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNFC/status/1601335014356094976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Weghorst came off the bench to cut the deficit with a header that seemingly woke the Netherlands from their 83-minute slumber of not testing Martinez, and he was on hand to score a late equaliser that sent the Dutch players into a tizzy.
The big striker brilliantly headed in a cross from Steven Berghuis, who followed it up with a deflected shot into the outside netting to cause an upset for the Dutch.
In the closing stages, there was a heated argument on the Dutch bench after Leandro Paredes hurled the ball into the dugout, and Van Dijk sent him to the ground in response.
With Van Dijk and Ake on the offensive, the Argentines survived a barrage of balls into their penalty area but were taken out of the game by some good ideas.
When a last-second free kick was awarded, Koopmeiners did not shoot but played a pass into the penalty area, where Weghorst outmuscled his opponent and equalised.
With tired legs, chances were scarce in the remaining 30 minutes, but substitute Van Dijk deflected Lautaro Martinez's shot to give Argentina the better end.
Weghorst steered a Fernandez shot just over the bar as the Netherlands struggled.
Martinez forced Andries Noppert into a brilliant save, while Fernandez's next effort crashed against the woodwork and the Dutch just about held themselves into the penalty shootout.
Captain Virgil Van Dijk stepped up first, but Martinez well saved his shot before Messi's simple penalty gave Argentina the early lead in the shootout.
Berghuis was the next shooter for the Dutch, but this time Martinez made an even better save. After Gonzalo Montiel and Weghorst scored, Argentina missed a penalty, which Fernandez missed.
De Jong kept the Dutch dreams alive, but Lautaro Martinez fired the ball into the net - Argentina succeeded where their rivals Brazil had failed earlier.