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Hours after their arch-rivals Brazil crashed out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Argentina held their nerve to progress to the semi-finals, beating Netherlands on penalties on 9 December. Lionel Scaloni’s men beat Louis van Gaal’s side 4-3 on penalties after the game finished 2-2 at the end of extra time. The two-time world champions will face Croatia in the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finals on December 13.
It was a cagey start at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, with neither team opening themselves up in the opening exchanges. Argentina’s captain extraordinaire Lionel Messi breathed life into the game when he went on an adventure in the 22nd minute.
The Paris Saint-Germain man skipped past a couple of challenges in midfield before taking aim from outside the box. The superstar tried to curl the ball into the top-left corner but failed to keep it on target.
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Ten minutes before the break, the South American giants bagged the goal they were looking for. Messi superbly played Nahuel Molina through on goal. The right-back skipped past Daley Blind to poke the ball beyond Netherlands keeper Andries Noppert and into the back of the net.
In the 62nd minute, Messi was brought down by Netherlands skipper Virgil van Dijk just outside the penalty area. The no. 10 took the resulting free-kick, dispatching a delightful effort. He got the ball over the wall quite easily but could not make it dip in time to test Noppert.
Messi inevitably got the goal he was gunning for, putting away a confident penalty in the 72nd minute. Marcos Acuna was scythed down inside the box by Denzel Dumfries and referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz unhesitantly pointed to the spot. Noppert was caught flatfooted as Messi doubled Argentina’s advantage.
Having struggled to create opportunities for most of the night, the Netherlands suddenly got themselves a lifeline in the 83rd minute. Berghuis delivered a teasing cross into the box and Wout Weghorst thumped it past a helpless Martinez.
In the final minute of injury time, super sub Weghorst struck again, slotting the ball from close range following an ingenious short free-kick from Teun Koopmeiners. With the game level at 2-2, the second quarter-final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup went into extra time.
Argentina struggled to get going in the first half of extra time but markedly upped the ante in the second phase. In the 114th minute, Enzo Fernandez cut the ball back for Lautaro Martinez inside the box. The Inter Milan man hit it first time but his shot took a deflection off Van Dijk and went behind.
Fernandez went for goal from outside the box in the stoppage time of the second half of extra time. He caught the ball sweetly but was agonizingly denied by the left post. With the scoreline unchanged, the match went onto penalties.
Lionel Messi, Leandro Paredes, Gonzalo Montiel, and Lautaro Martinez put away their spot kicks while Martinez saved two crucial penalties to fire Argentina to a 4-3 victory on penalties. Here are three players who impressed and two who disappointed as Argentina overcame the Dutch challenge on Friday night:
Performed: Leandro Paredes
Coming off the bench for Rodrigo De Paul in the 66th minute, PSG man Leandro Paredes added a bit of oomph to the midfield. Paredes fought for every ball, held his ground well, helped out at the back, and scored a superb penalty under pressure in the shootout. Paredes went left with his penalty kick, giving Noppert no chance whatsoever.
In the closely-contested 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-final, Paredes made a key pass, won six ground duels, performed two clearances, and attempted three tackles.
Underperformed: Julian Alvarez
Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez failed to get into the game against the Netherlands. He struggled to link up with teammates, lost possession under pressure, and came out second best in most one-on-one duels. Failing to impress Scaloni, he was hooked for Martinez in the 82nd minute.
On Friday night, Alvarez completed only 12 passes (70.6% accuracy), lost three of four ground duels, lost possession 10 times, and was caught offside once.
Performed: Emiliano Martinez
Emiliano Martinez was the hero of the penalty shootout for Argentina on Friday night, saving two spot kicks. Dutch captain Van Dijk was the first to be denied by Martinez. The Liverpool superstar went left with his kick, putting plenty of power behind it. Martinez guessed right and blocked his shot with a strong right hand.
Martinez came out on top against Berghuis as well. The Dutchman went right with his kick but was unable to beat the Aston Villa stopper, who stretched every fiber of his body to keep his shot out. During open play, Martinez made three high claims, completed 132 passes, and delivered two accurate long balls.
Underperformed: German Pezzella
Argentina substitute German Pezzella had a horrific game in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals. He committed a silly foul on Weghorst in a dangerous area in the dying minutes of injury time. Weghorst scored from the resulting free-kick to push the game into extra time.
At the Lusail Iconic Stadium, Pezzella also lost all five of his aerial duels, misplaced both his attempted long balls, lost possession thrice, and did not perform any defensive actions.
Performed: Lionel Messi
Argentine maverick Lionel Messi was by far his team’s best player on Friday night, pitching in with a goal and an assist. In the 35th minute, Messi charged through the middle before showing unimaginable awareness and technique to play the ball through to Molina on the right. The right-back brilliantly latched on to Messi’s defense-slitting pass and put the ball past Noppert.
Messi also put away both of his penalties against Holland. He found the inside of the side netting with his first one in the 73rd minute. Then, during the penalty shootout, he rolled the ball through the middle of the Dutch goal, giving his team the perfect start.
In the second FIFA World Cup quarter-final, Messi also played three key passes, completed two dribbles, won 10 duels, and drew a whopping eight fouls.
