World Cup results: Argentina beat Netherlands on penalty kicks, advance to final
By Mike Dyce
Germany beat Brazil pretty convincingly to advance to the World Cup final on Tuesday. The Netherlands and Argentina squared off on Wednesday to see who would be their opponent.
The game got off to a slow start compared to the 7-1 scoreline we saw on Tuesday. Neither team got a considerable amount of chances on goal and the game was a back and forth of possession almost like a chess match.
There were a couple of shots from each team but neither had a chance at going in. The Netherlands had only two shots through most of the game and both came from more than 20 yards out. It was somewhat rainy and that likely played a roll in slowing down both teams offensively.
In the 75th minute it looked like a through ball from Enzo Pérez beautifully found Gonzalo Higuaín. He had to reach out his foot to get a toe on it and was able to redirect it into the back of the net. The linesman had his flag up and waved off the goal for offside. It was an incredibly tight call and it looked like he was most likely onside, but the goal was disallowed and the game continued at 0-0.
At the beginning of stoppage time Arjen Robben got a chance on goal after a beautiful back heel pass from Wesley Sneijder. Robben couldn’t get the ball under control and it went out of bounds for a corner kick. They couldn’t convert the set piece though.
Ultimately it went to extra time, the Netherlands needed penalty kicks after extra time to get past Costa Rica in the quarterfinals. In the 120th minute of that game they subbed off goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen in favor of Tim Krul. In the 97th minute the Netherlands used their third and final substitute, bringing on Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for Robin van Persie.
It is an intriguing move that could have a big impact in the penalty kicks on both ends, Robin van Persie being a prolific goal scorer in his own right.
In the final moments of the second period of extra time Rodrigo Palacio had a chance to score when he got behind the defense. He tried to head it over Cillessen off the volley, and Cillessen brought it in easily. Had he let the ball drop down and he tried to take a touch or kick it he might have had a better chance at scoring.
It ended in a scoreless draw and would go to penalty kicks, only the fifth time in World Cup history that a semifnal would go to penalty kicks. The last time was in 1998, when the Netherlands played Brazil.
The Netherlands took the first penalty kick. Ron Vlaar went low and to the right and Sergio Romero stopped it, guessing the right direction.
Lionel Messi was up first for the Argentinian national team. Messi went to the left and scored, Cillessen went right.
Robben was up second for the Netherlands, he went low and to the right corner and scored with Romero diving the opposite direction.
Ezequiel Garay was up second for Argentina he went high and up the middle and Cillessen went to his right, Garay scored.
Up third for the Netherlands was Sneijder who went to the left and Romero guessed right and stopped the shot. Sergio Aguero was up next for Argentina. He went low and to the left corner, Cillessen went the direction and got a hand on the ball but couldn’t stop it.
The Netherlands needed a goal to stay in it, and Dirk Kuyt delivered going to the right and Romero diving the opposite direction.
Argentina’s Maxi Rodríguez stepped up for the fourth kick, which would deliver Argentina to the Final. Rodríguez went left and Cillessen got a hand on it but couldn’t stop it.
Argentina advances to the final to play Germany on Sunday, July 13.