Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez saved penalties from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis before Lautaro Martinez scored the winning spot kick to secure them a 4-3 shootout win over the Netherlands on Friday after their World Cup quarter-final finished 2-2 after 120 minutes.
Argentina clinched a dramatic 4-3 penalty shootout win over the Netherlands to set up a last-four clash with Croatia for a place in the World Cup final.
Argentina looked like cantering into the semis after Nahuel Molina opened the scoring with his first goal for his country, before Lionel Messi added a second from the penalty spot with less than 20 minutes left to play.
Messi then slotted home a cooly taken penalty in the 73rd minute after Denzel Dumfries fouled Marcos Acuna to give the La Albiceleste a 2-0 lead with less than 20 mins to go.
The Netherlands who rarely troubled Argentina during the match gained momentum after substitute Wout Weghorst’s header in the 83rd minute before poking home from a brilliantly worked free-kick in the 10th-minute of injury-time.
Argentina substitute Lautaro Martinez rattled the post in the last minute of extra-time, but with the score level at 2-2, the quarter-final tie went to the dreaded spot-kicks.
Penalties
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez gave Argentina a brilliant start to life in the shootouts with two saved penalties from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis, before the Dutch score all their next three.
Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez scored the winning spot kick to secure them a 4-3 shootout win over the Netherlands on Friday evening.
Argentina will next face Croatia on Tuesday for a place in the final after the latter beat Brazil on penalties earlier on Friday.
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