Argentina beat the Netherlands on penalties

Argentina beat Netherlands
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What a dramatic start we have seen in the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup. Argentina faced the Netherlands at Lusail Stadium after Brazil’s heartbreaking defeat against Croatia. However, at Lusail Stadium, history repeated once again! Argentina beat Holland in the penalty shootout as they did in the 2014 world cup in Brazil. Anyway, the victory has moved Argentina to the semi-final, where they will play against Croatia.

As it happened

Argentina and the Netherlands met each other in the 2nd quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup. In this match, Dutch boss Louis Van Gaal set up the team formation with 3-4-1-2. He used three center-backs with two full-backs.

On the other hand, Argentina’s manager Lionel Scaloni played a tactical game against the Dutches. He deployed five defenders in a 5-3-2 formation.

However, both teams were strict on their defense. But the two teams tried to create chances in the first half. The Netherlands marked Lionel Messi from the beginning of the match. But they failed to stop the Argentine superstar.

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In the 35th minute, when both teams were searching for goals, Lionel Messi stepped forward for Argentina and created a crucial chance for Nahuel Molina to score. And Molina didn’t miss the chance. As a result, Argentina took the lead in the first half.

Returning from the break, the Gaal boys became desperate to find the equalizer. Frankie de Jong and Cody Gapko kept creating chances. But Argentina’s defense was rock solid.

Furthermore, Argentina got a penalty kick in the 71st minute as Denzel Dumfries fouled Marcos Acuna inside the box. Lionel Messi stepped forward to take the kick, and he scored! Therefore, Argentina went 2-0 up against the Dutches.

It seemed Argentina were winning the game. But the drama was yet to come. In the 83rd minute, the Netherlands returned a goal as Wout Weghorst found the net with a header. Moreover, the Dutches leveled the scoreline in the very last minute as Wout Weghorst netted his second goal in the 90+11 minutes.

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Therefore, the match went to Extra Time. But no sides scored in the remaining minutes. As a result, the clash went to the penalty shootout to get the result.

Penalty Shoot out.

Winning the toss, Virgil Van Dijk decided to take the first kick for the Dutches. But Emiliano Martinez came as a hero for Argentina. He saved this kick as well as Steven Berghuis’s shot. Besides, Argentina scored from the first two kicks. Although Enzo Fernandez missed, the remaining players found the net to seal a thrilling victory for Argentina.