Lionel Messi and Argentina in the knockout phase – but what does it take to prepare for the World Cup? The case against the Netherlands
Lionel Messi and Argentina are three games away from winning the World Cup, but they will be facing their toughest test so far against the Netherlands.
They last met in the semifinals eight years ago – a goalless game that Argentina ultimately won on penalties – and prior to that have contested two other knockout games: a quarterfinal in 1998 – best remembered for Dennis Bergkamp’s sensational winning goal – and the final in 1978 when Argentina won the World Cup for the first time.
Several key protagonists remain from the 2014 encounter. While Messi remains Argentina’s talisman and most potent attacking threat, veteran left-back Daley Blind is still a key part of thenational team as manager and Louis van Gaal has returned as manager.
The Argentina team is far more than just Messi. Midfielder Enzo Fernández and striker Julián Álvarez have had impressive campaigns and goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez has produced some crucial saves, particularly against Australia.
He is an aging genius at this moment in his career, according to sports scientist Simon Brundish. “He doesn’t have the capacity to do the running that [Paulo] Dybala in the team would do, but he’s a genius and he’s going to win you games.”
If you watch Messi in detail, you would see the amount of space he stood in when the other team had the ball, according to Brundish.
“Argentina set up their system around him not being involved in the press,” said Brundish. They aren’t a high pressing team anyway. It has never been part of Messi’s game and his role doesn’t involve that.
Both teams have had blips in Qatar – Argentina a surprise defeat against Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands a draw against Ecuador – and both are hoping to reach the final four for the first time since 2014.
The Netherlands have looked impressive going forward through Cody Gakpo, who has three goals to his name this World Cup, and Memphis Depay, who finished off a wonderful move against the USA in the last 16.
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“Leo surprises you every day with the things he does,” midfielder Alexis Mac Allister told reporters on Thursday. “You can see he’s happy and, for us, that’s very important.”
Having lost three previous World Cup finals and failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament, van Gaal’s team will likely feel a sense of unfinished business in Qatar.
Argentina is favorite to progress in the quarterfinal with a significant chance of progressing, but neither side has played one of the tournament’s top teams.
It is about to change. The five-time champion will have to get past Croatia first before it can face Brazil in the semifinals.
The Netherlands staged a stunning comeback after trailing 2-0 with just eight minutes remaining and Wout Weghorst completed his brace in the 121st minute to send the game into extra time.
With neither side able to score in the extra 30 minutes, the match was decided on penalties, and Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez made himself the hero by saving two Dutch spot kicks.
After Enzo Fernandez missed the first penalty that would have given Argentina victory, Lautaro Martinez stepped up and hammered home the winning spot kick to send the thousands of Argentine fans inside the Lusail Stadium into delirium.
Argentina’s players were out on the pitch for more than an hour after the penalty shoot out, taking in the adulation of their fans who will be partying long after the game is over.
It was another remarkable ending to a match at this World Cup, which has seen all manner of shocks and comebacks, though this one perhaps exceeded them all.
It became difficult to keep a track of which players were being disciplined by Lahoz but according to FIFA, 18 yellow cards (two for Dumfries) and one red card were brandished during the quarterfinal.
There were three mass brawls and penalties throughout the 120 minutes and extra time, the first of which was sparked when Leandro Paredes slammed a ball into the Netherlands bench.
This match will undoubtedly go down as an all-time World Cup classic, but Argentina will quickly need to bring itself down back to earth ahead of the semifinal against knockout specialist Croatia.
Under head coach Lionel Scaloni, the team is in better shape than it has been in some time and won the first major trophy in 20 years, the Copa America, in 2021.
Argentina was yet to put together a convincing 90 minutes in the Persian Gulf and defensive frailties that have hindered it in recent years still exist.
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Running towards the left-hand side of the penalty area, the Argentina captain played an absurd reverse pass perfectly into the path of Molina, who took one touch and poked the ball past Andries Noppert.
Messi wasn’t interested in seeing how the pass was played and only knows how he saw it. Just when you think you’ve seen it all in his 18-year career, Messi still finds a way to leave mouths agape.
It looked like game over when Messi made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after 75 minutes. One thing that the World Cup has shown is that the matches are not over until the referee blows for full time.
Having offered so little for more than 80 minutes, the Netherlands opted to hammer long ball after long ball towards the Argentina penalty area, aiming for the 6 feet 6 inch substitute Weghorst and Virgil Van Dijk.
It looked as though either Cody Gakpo or Teun Koopmeiners were going to take a shot at goal, but the latter played an ingenious pass into Weghorst, who turned his defender and slotted the ball past Martinez.
That goal sparked wild scenes as the entire Netherlands bench emptied to celebrate by the corner flag, silencing the thousands of Argentina fans that had been so boisterous throughout the game.
It was barely believable that Weghorst went on loan to Besiktas and put a halt to Messi’s march towards a World Cup title.
Messi is now tantalizingly close to lifting his first World Cup and it will take something special to stop an incredible player who seems hellbent on lifting the trophy he craves the most.