It was a World Cup knockout match for the ages—fierce, contentious, and descending into complete chaos. After Louis van Gaal’s substitutions brought a frigid dollop of mayhem to the table, Argentina went to hell and back, falling deep into second-half stoppage time to squander a two-goal lead. But after a contentious overtime period, Argentina prevailed in a ridiculous match that culminated with Lautaro Martnez converting the winning spot-kick in a penalty shootout. By the end, Lionel Messi’s captivating first-half assist and carefree second-half penalty for his 10th World Cup goal to tie Gabriel Batistuta’s record for Argentina were merely incidental tidbits.
With Tuesday’s match against Croatia being their second since 1990, Argentina has now advanced to five World Cup semifinals thanks to an absurd victory. Wout Weghorst, a 6’6″ striker who joined Besiktas on loan from Burnley in the summer, entered the game with 78 minutes remaining and unquestionably turned the tide for Argentina. After heading in Steven Berghuis’s cross five minutes later, Weghorst was sandwiched by two of Argentina’s replacements, German Pezzella and Leandro Paredes, as the trio competed for an aerial ball in the last seconds of second-half stoppage time. The ensuing free kick was taken by Teun Koopmeiners, another late substitute, who was positioned to shoot but instead cannoned the ball into Weghorst’s foot. Weghorst rolled his defender and immediately pushed the ball into the far corner, emulating a goal he scored for Wolfsburg two years prior.
Due to the cheers from the crowd, Argentina’s players did not want to leave the pitch. On what would turn out to be a really remarkable night, their followers did not want to leave an arena they had in essence taken over. This was the cruellest of endings to what is likely to be Van Gaal’s final game as a manager. At the age of 71, Van Gaal has gained new admirers at this tournament with his unique personality – think kissing his players to get his point across or going viral after dancing his way through the hotel lobby. It would be an understatement to say that Argentina’s supporters outnumbered their rivals in the stadium when he gathered his team into a huddle. Meanwhile, the players from Argentina also gathered in a circle, albeit theirs was understandably much friendlier.
A competitive game that started off cagey and then turned tense before becoming completely chaotic. After 100 minutes and 30 seconds of play, the Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz was ambushed as he blew his whistle, and this wasn’t the first time that this had happened. Those wearing orange jerseys had to be dragged away from those wearing sky blue and white stripes by Edgar Davids, who is currently a member of Van Gaal’s coaching team. There were 16 yellow cards thrown out, one of which was given to Weghorst while he was a substitute and another to manager Lionel Scaloni’s assistant Walter Samuel, a former centre back for Argentina.
Emiliano Martnez, the keeper for Argentina, and Lautaro Martnez, the replacement, both deserve praise for their heroic efforts in stopping two penalties. Aside from his failure in the shootout, Enzo Fernández also stood out as he powerfully hit a post from a distance seconds before penalties were officially called. Then, of course, there is Messi, whose heavenly artistry provided Nahuel Molina with a lovely first-half goal in the 35th minute that felt like a lifetime ago when Argentina’s players bounced in front of the advertising hoardings in front of the lower bank of fans who were still intent on making a racket before they were eventually led to the turnstiles at 1.50am.
Six of Messi’s teammates were shouting at the downed Netherlands players as he sprinted from halfway to swarm both Lautaro and Emiliano Martnez; Nicolas Otamendi swivelled in their direction and cupped his ears. Leandro Paredes, Gonzalo Montiel, Alexis Mac Allister, and other players who scored in the shootout all appeared more interested in wallowing in the misery of defeat than in celebrating the joy and, undoubtedly, relief of triumph. Weghorst collapsed to the ground and covered his face after scoring his penalty and being unable to do anything else to secure victory. After seeing his opening penalty kick in the shootout saved, Virgil van Dijk turned to face the sky. As he comforted Berghuis after Martnez’s outstanding two-handed save stopped his penalty, Denzel Dumfries yanked his orange shorts towards his hips.
Despite the chaos that would follow, Messi’s lavish pass for Molina is worth remembering. The 35-year-old engaged in one of those shimmying sprints to avoid Marten de Roon and later Nathan Aké’s scrutiny. No imminent threat appeared. But at that point, Messi, a stealthy killer with a gorgeous delicate touch, is at his most understated. Once he spotted Molina in his peripheral vision, he took a few more steps before sprinting diagonally across the field. He pushed a wonderfully weighted pass through to the Atlético Madrid defender, who was now positioned as a right wing-back when Scaloni altered shapes, after making the briefest of checks out of the corner of his eye. On the move, Molina caught the ball in his stride, took possession with his left foot, and then used his right foot to toe-poke it past the goalkeeper of the Netherlands, Andries Noppert. Every outfield player ran to celebrate with Messi since they had just experienced another breathtaking moment.
Argentina had no idea how much suffering lay ahead at the time. Prior to Weghorst silencing a partisan crowd, Berghuis whistled a shot against the side netting. In extra time, both teams went through the motions. Lautaro Martnez’s attempt was instinctively blocked by Van Dijk with the top of his chest, and Fernández rattled a post. However, judging by the exuberant celebrations at the conclusion, even those crude ones, the suffering was all worthwhile.
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