Lusail: Lionel Messi's quest to win the World Cup moves into the semifinals after Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout on Friday.
Messi converted his penalty in the shootout and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Mart nez saved two attempts. Lautaro Martinez scored the clinching penalty.
The match finished 2-2 after extra time, with Messi scoring one goal and setting up another. The Netherlands equalized in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time. Argentina will play Croatia in the semifinals on Tuesday after the 2018 runner-up beat Brazil earlier on Friday.
It is only the second time Argentina has reached the last four since 1990. In 2014, Messi was part of the team that lost to Germany in the final.
He looks in the mood to get there again in a tournament that he is turning into his own personal highlight reel.
When Lautaro Martinez's penalty hit the net, Messi didn't head to the striker unlike the rest of the team but sprinted to his goalkeeper and jumped into his arms.
Messi had produced a mesmerizing piece of skill to set up the opening goal for Nahuel Molina in the 35th minute and then converted a penalty in the 73rd to make it 2-0 with his fourth goal of this year's World Cup.