Sergio Romero turned out to be a hero for his side as his two spectacular saves in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands sent Argentina into the World Cup final after 24 years, here on Wednesday. The second semifinal between the two heavyweight teams ended scoreless in the regulation 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time. It was decided via penalty shootout in which Argentina prevailed 4-2 to set up the title clash European powerhouse Germany.
Captain Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Garay, Sergio Aguero and Maxi Rodriguez scored for Argentina while only Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt found the target for the Dutch side. Romero blocked shots from Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder to keep one South American side in title hunt following Brazil’s 1-7 annihilation by Germany. It is Argentina’s first World Cup final entry in 24 years after 1990 when they lost to Germany in the final under Diego Maradona. Now stage is set for Argentina to take revenge for that loss in Sunday’s title showdown in Rio de Janeiro. In stark contrast to the goals galore in first semifinal, the Argentina-Netherlands match was more of a battle of attrition with very few goal-scoring chances as both sides tried to break down their opponents gradually.
The clash between the two heavyweights was though not without some tense and gripping spells with some fine build-ups but none of the two sides either blinked or committed mistakes to give the other team a chance. The Dutch were able to keep Argentine captain Messi quiet for most part of the match with Ron Vlaar doing a great job by denying the four-time World Player of the Year free space, stopping him with fine tackles on a couple of occasions. Messi’s opposite number in the Dutch team, Robin van Persie, who made it to the starting line-up after recovering from a stomach problem just in time for the match, had a forgettable outing though he played the full 90 minutes before being substituted six minutes into the extra time. Rodrigo Palacio had a glorious chance to score for Argentina five minutes before the end of extra time but he headed into the hands of Dutch goalie Jasper Cillessen who was at his mercy.The first half was a cagey and tense affair with both sides unable to create clear chances, the closest either team came to breaking the deadlock was Messi’s free kick in the 20th minute that Cillessen dived to his right to save comfortably. Argentina came close to scoring in the 75th minute when an Enzo Perez delicious through ball was toe-poked towards the goal by Gonzalo Higuain only to hit the side nettings. Holland pressed hard and laid seize of Argentina citadel towards the close of regulation time and Arjen Robben was sent clean through inside Argentine penalty area by Wesley Sneijder in the 90th minute but Javier Mascherano made a remarkable recovery to deflect the Dutch winger’s shot.
‘2 players refused first Dutch penalty’
Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has revealed two of his players refused to step up to take the first penalty in Wednesday’s 4-2 World Cup semifinal shoot-out loss to Argentina. The ill-fated honour eventually fell to defender Ron Vlaar, whose effort was saved by Argentina keeper Sergio Romero. ‘I asked two players ahead of Vlaar to take the first penalty. They refused. Vlaar in my view was our best player. Unfortunately he didn’t score,’ said the Manchester United-bound coach. Unlike in the quarter-finals against Costa Rica, the Dutch fell down in the penalty shootout, with both Vlaar, who played a brilliant game until then, and veteran Wesley Sneijder failing to score against Romero. ‘Our penalties against Costa Rica were incredible. That should have given us confidence. You have to maximise the first penalty shot,’ said van Gaal.
Van Gaal added he would have brought in replacement goalkeeper Tim Krul, who faced the penalties shootout and saved the day against Costa Rica, to take over from regular goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. ‘But I’ve already used my three substitutes at that time. In the end Romero stopped two penalties,’ he said. Argentina face Germany in Sunday’s final while Holland take on Brazil in the play-off 24 hours earlier.
Captain Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Garay, Sergio Aguero and Maxi Rodriguez scored for Argentina while only Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt found the target for the Dutch side. Romero blocked shots from Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder to keep one South American side in title hunt following Brazil’s 1-7 annihilation by Germany. It is Argentina’s first World Cup final entry in 24 years after 1990 when they lost to Germany in the final under Diego Maradona. Now stage is set for Argentina to take revenge for that loss in Sunday’s title showdown in Rio de Janeiro. In stark contrast to the goals galore in first semifinal, the Argentina-Netherlands match was more of a battle of attrition with very few goal-scoring chances as both sides tried to break down their opponents gradually.
The clash between the two heavyweights was though not without some tense and gripping spells with some fine build-ups but none of the two sides either blinked or committed mistakes to give the other team a chance. The Dutch were able to keep Argentine captain Messi quiet for most part of the match with Ron Vlaar doing a great job by denying the four-time World Player of the Year free space, stopping him with fine tackles on a couple of occasions. Messi’s opposite number in the Dutch team, Robin van Persie, who made it to the starting line-up after recovering from a stomach problem just in time for the match, had a forgettable outing though he played the full 90 minutes before being substituted six minutes into the extra time. Rodrigo Palacio had a glorious chance to score for Argentina five minutes before the end of extra time but he headed into the hands of Dutch goalie Jasper Cillessen who was at his mercy.The first half was a cagey and tense affair with both sides unable to create clear chances, the closest either team came to breaking the deadlock was Messi’s free kick in the 20th minute that Cillessen dived to his right to save comfortably. Argentina came close to scoring in the 75th minute when an Enzo Perez delicious through ball was toe-poked towards the goal by Gonzalo Higuain only to hit the side nettings. Holland pressed hard and laid seize of Argentina citadel towards the close of regulation time and Arjen Robben was sent clean through inside Argentine penalty area by Wesley Sneijder in the 90th minute but Javier Mascherano made a remarkable recovery to deflect the Dutch winger’s shot.
‘2 players refused first Dutch penalty’
Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has revealed two of his players refused to step up to take the first penalty in Wednesday’s 4-2 World Cup semifinal shoot-out loss to Argentina. The ill-fated honour eventually fell to defender Ron Vlaar, whose effort was saved by Argentina keeper Sergio Romero. ‘I asked two players ahead of Vlaar to take the first penalty. They refused. Vlaar in my view was our best player. Unfortunately he didn’t score,’ said the Manchester United-bound coach. Unlike in the quarter-finals against Costa Rica, the Dutch fell down in the penalty shootout, with both Vlaar, who played a brilliant game until then, and veteran Wesley Sneijder failing to score against Romero. ‘Our penalties against Costa Rica were incredible. That should have given us confidence. You have to maximise the first penalty shot,’ said van Gaal.
Van Gaal added he would have brought in replacement goalkeeper Tim Krul, who faced the penalties shootout and saved the day against Costa Rica, to take over from regular goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen. ‘But I’ve already used my three substitutes at that time. In the end Romero stopped two penalties,’ he said. Argentina face Germany in Sunday’s final while Holland take on Brazil in the play-off 24 hours earlier.