Argentina held their nerve to advance to the semi-finals, defeating the Netherlands on penalties on December 9th, just hours after their archrivals Brazil were eliminated from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
After extra time ended 2-2, Lionel Scaloni’s team won on penalties to defeat Louis van Gaal’s team 4-3. Croatia will face the two-time world champions on December 13 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finals.
At the Lusail Iconic Stadium, the game got off to a cagey start with neither team opening up in the first few minutes. In the 22nd minute, Argentina’s extraordinary captain Lionel Messi embarked on an adventure that gave the match new life.
The giants from South America scored the goal they were looking for ten minutes before the break. Nahuel Molina was brilliantly played through on goal by Messi. The right-back deflected the ball past Dutch keeper Andries Noppert and into the back of the net as he skipped past Daley Blind.
Messi was brought down by Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk just outside the penalty area in the 62nd minute. The no. 10 scored with a delightful effort when he took the free kick that followed. He got the ball over the wall effectively yet couldn’t make it plunge so as to test Noppert.
In the 72nd minute, Messi scored the goal he was aiming for with a confident penalty. Denzel Dumfries scythed down Marcos Acuna inside the box, and referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz pointed to the spot without hesitation. As Messi increased Argentina’s lead to two, Noppert was caught off guard.
In the final minute of the second half of extra time, Fernandez scored from outside the box. He had a lovely catch of the ball, but the left post stopped him in his tracks in agony. The match went to penalties because the score remained the same.
Argentina won 4-3 on penalties thanks to goals from Lionel Messi, Leandro Paredes, Gonzalo Montiel, and Lautaro Martinez. Martinez also saved two crucial penalties. As Argentina defeated the Dutch challenge on Friday night, the following players impressed and two disappointed:
Performed: Leandro Paredes
PSG player Leandro Paredes came off the bench in the 66th minute to replace Rodrigo De Paul. He gave the midfield a little more oomph. Paredes fought for every ball, stood his ground, helped out at the back, and scored a fantastic penalty kick in the shootout despite being under pressure.
With his penalty kick, Paredes went left, giving Noppert no chance.
Paredes made a crucial pass, won six ground battles, made two clearances, and tried three tackles in the tightly fought 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal.
Underperformed: Julian Alvarez
The forward for Manchester City, Julian Alvarez, was unable to participate in the game against the Netherlands. He had trouble connecting with his teammates, lost possession when pressure was on, and finished second in most one-on-one battles. In the 82nd minute, he was hooked by Martinez after failing to impress Scaloni.
Alvarez was caught offside once, lost three of four ground battles, lost possession ten times, and completed only 12 passes on Friday night (70.6% accuracy).
Performed: Emiliano Martinez
Saved two penalty kicks for Argentina in the penalty shootout on Friday night, making him the hero. Martinez denied Van Dijk, the Dutch captain, first. The superstar for Liverpool kicked to the left and had a lot of power behind it. Martinez made the right prediction and used his strong right hand to stop his shot.
Martinez prevailed over Berghuis as well. The Aston Villa goalkeeper stretched every muscle in his body to keep the Dutchman’s shot out as he kicked right, but the Dutchman was unable to beat him.
Martinez made three high claims, completed 132 passes, and threw two precise long balls during open play.
Underperformed: German Pezzella
In the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals, German Pezzella, an Argentine substitute, played a terrible game. In the final minutes of injury time, he committed a stupid foul on Weghorst in a dangerous area. From the subsequent free kick, Weghorst scored to send the game into extra time.
Pezzella also lost all five of his aerial duels at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, dropped both of his attempted long balls, lost possession three times, and didn’t do anything defensively.
Performed: Lionel Messi
On Friday night, the Argentine maverick who contributed a goal and an assist was by far the team’s best player. In the 35th minute, Messi ran through the middle and played the ball through to Molina on the right with incredible awareness and skill.
The right-back did an excellent job of latching onto Messi’s pass through the defense and passing the ball past Noppert.
Additionally, Messi saved both of his Holland penalties. In the 73rd minute, his first shot hit the inside of the side net. He then rolled the ball through the Dutch goal’s middle during the penalty shootout, giving his team the perfect start.
Messi also completed two dribbles, won 10 duels, played three key passes, and received a whopping eight fouls in the second FIFA World Cup quarterfinal.