Netherlands 0-0 Argentina (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties)
MIKEY STAFFORD reports for the Score.ie from Arena Corinthians, São Paulo
BRAZIL’S WEEK FROM hell just got worse. A little over 24 hours after seeing their beloved Selecao blown out of the water by one of the great footballing displays of our time, the hosts here had to watch as their rivals Argentina crawled into the decider on their hands and knees.
This was one game where Lionel Messi couldn’t find the strings to pull, or maybe Louis Van Gaal simply had them in an icy grip, but as the temperature dropped on this long São Paulo evening the big winners were Germany.
An attritional evening’s football ground towards the penalty shootout that seemed somehow inevitable before 90 minutes had been played.
Aston Villa’s Ron Vlaar had the guts to step up first but the not the ability and when Sergio Romero dived low to his left to save the Netherlands never looked like winning back-to-back shootouts.
Messi, Ezequiel Garay, Sergio Aguero and Maxi Rodriguez all converted, unlike the third Dutch taker Wesley Sneijder.
Just like their last final appearance, 24 years ago, Argentina have won through on penalties, the only difference this time out, in fact, is they will meet a unified Germany in the final instead of West Germany, who beat them 1-0 in 1990. Courtesy of a penalty, of course.
A tournament that’s group stages were ranked among the greatest ever has featured more extra-time stalemates in its knockout stages than any World Cup since Italia ’90.
Germany, with an extra day to recover after their embarrassingly comfortable win in Belo Horizonte, watched their opponents huff and puff for 120 minutes before undergoing the emotional torment of penalties.
If their name isn’t on the trophy they certainly look the team most capable of summoning the energy to hoist it above their heads at the Maracana on Sunday.
The best chance of the opening period fell to Argentina centre-half Garay in the 24th minute but he failed to direct a Ezequiel Lavezzi corner underneath the crossbar and received a boot in the head from Stefan De Vrij for his troubles.
Three minutes later there was considerably more concern for Mascherano, who looked like he may have been concussed after clashing heads with Georginio Wijnaldum.
Referee Cuneyt Cakir immediately called for the medics to come on to the pitch and the Barcelona man looked like he might not be able to continue, until receiving a consoling rub on the head from his captain Messi, at which point he made his way to sideline before continuing.
Messi’s magic touch did not extend to his feet and he was well marshalled by the Dutch back three and Nigel De Jong, who was fit enough to start but not fit enough to play more than 62 minutes, who along with the wing backs, severely limited Messi’s preferred area of influence.
One free-kick, comfortably saved by Cillessen, was his only sight at goal, save his successful penalty.
Robben was having no more luck at the other end. On his preferred right wing he had Daley Blind to the back of him, the diligent Lavezzi in front and Mascherano ready to pounce on the rare occasions the ball found its way to the Bayern Munich attacker.
By the end of the first half Messi was getting frustrated and, unusually, consistently complaining to the referee about infringements but the Dutch were not resorting to systematic fouling, the Argentinian talisman, like his Dutch counterpart Robben was being expertly contained.
Martin Demichelis’s drag on Robben was less refined and warranted a booking but the setpiece, like so many at both ends, yielded nothing.
Mascherano continued to stalk Robben and when an innocuous through ball nearly found the Dutch attacker the Barcelona midfielder was furious. For the most part Argentina contained the Europeans well until a late onslaught, which again required the intervention of Mascherano, sliding in to block Robben, who was afforded his first sight of goal in the 91st minute.
Chances were at a premium at the other end too, especially with the accomplished Daley Blind moving into the centre and the uncomfortable looking Bruno Martins Indi making way for Daryl Janmaat.
The substitute showed strength to head a ball off the forehead of Higuain on the hour mark but, other than a blocked Lavezzi shot and badly overhit Messi free-kick Cilessen’s goal remained unthreatened ahead of extra-time.
It was the 104th minute before we heard the first chant of Messi’s name and the Barcelona phenomenon was not the force here he would have hoped. If he is this well marshalled by Joachim Low’s men Argentina will not be adding a third star to their iconic blue and white shirts.
The game was anyone’s and nobody’s after 90 minutes of precious few chances.
Arjen Robben was displaying his incredible engine once more in extra-time and as those around him began to tire he was finally finding space, a rare commodity on this most tense of evenings.
First he forced a corner with a characteristic burst down the left channel and then he chanced his arm from distance, amazingly recording the Netherlands’ first shot on target with a tame effort straight at Jasper Cilessen.
It had only taken 99 minutes.
The Bayern man’s protestations and histrionics were growing more energetic too and after a couple of half-hearted falls went unrewarded he and his team-mates were enraged by a booking for substitute Klaas Jan Huntelaar, who hacked down a surging Javier Mascherano.
Perhaps the victim’s identity was the real annoyance. The Barcelona midfielder was immense in containing Robben all evening.
Both an off-colour Robin van Persie and Gonzalo Higuain had been withdrawn at this stage and you wonder had the Argentina frontman still been on the pitch might he have got on the end of Rodrigo Palacio’s inviting cross at the end of the first period of extra-time.
As the game slid inexorably towards its inevitable end game there were chances at both ends but this was not a game to be settled by conventional means. So Palacio meekly headed the ball to Cillessen when a volley could have won it and Rodriguez volleyed into the ground after Messi had floated over a cross.
At the other end Mascherano frustrated Robben one more time with a perfect sliding intervention and Dirk Kuyt shot straight at Lucas Biglia.
A match billed as a battle of minds between Messi and Dutch coach Van Gaal began a tight tactical affair and remained that way for 120 minutes.
With both sides set up to contain the opposition’s danger men — Messi and Robben respectively — space and time was at an absolute premium.
Rodriguez’s winning spot-kick:
https://vine.co/v/MPPhlTTKZKv
Germany are unlikely to feel too threatened either and a tournament crying out for a great conclusion will look to one little Argentinian to rediscover his form for Sunday’s final.
Netherlands (5-3-2): Jasper Cillessen; Dirk Kuyt, Stefan De Vrij, Ron Vlaar, Bruno Martins Indi (Daryl Janmaat (ht), Daley Blind; Wesley Sneijder, Nigel De Jong (Jordy Clasie 62), Georginio Wijnaldum; Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie (c) (Klaas Jan Huntelaar 96)
Booked: Martins Indi 45′, Huntelaar 105′
Argentina (4-4-2): Sergio Romero; Pablo Zabaleta, Martin Demichelis, Ezequiel Garay, Marcos Rojo; Enzo Perez (Rodrigo Palacio 81), Lucas Biglia, Javier Mascherano, Ezequiel Lavezzi (Maxi Rodriguez 101); Gonzalo Higuain (Ssergio Aguero 82), Lionel Messi (c)
Booked: Demichelis 49′
Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey)
Attendance: 63,267
Man of the match: Javier Mascherano (Argentina)
