Argentina took another step towards World Cup glory as they beat the Netherlands 4-3 on penalties to reach the semi-finals.
Lautaro Martinez held his nerve with the winning spot-kick, after a couple of saves in the shootout from Emi Martinez, as Argentina set up a last-four clash with Croatia.
It was a low-key affair during the early stages at the Lusail Stadium, until Nahuel Molina’s first-half strike, set up by a sublime ball from Lionel Messi, got Argentina up and running.
Louis van Gaal’s side seemed unable to shift from their structured set-up into something a bit more ambitious, and their race looked run when Messi dispatched a penalty to put his side in complete control.
The Dutch went for a much more direct approach, bringing on their big men up front, and they were suddenly a different side. Wout Weghorst flicked a header past Emi Martinez to set up a grandstand final ten minutes, and in the 101st-minute he struck again to send it to extra-time in extraordinary fashion as it finished 2-2.
Martinez went close in extra-time, before Enzo Fernandez saw an effort smack back off the post in the final seconds, but for the second time on Friday in Qatar a quarter-final went to penalties.
Not for the first time in his career, Martinez stepped up in a shootout as he made two saves, the first as Virgil van Dijk took his country’s opening penalty, as Argentina led the whole way. Enzo Fernandez missed a chance to send his country through, dragging his spot-kick wide, but Lautaro Martinez got the job done to settle a remarkably dramatic encounter.
With Brazil knocked out on penalties, and one of France or England exiting the tournament on Saturday, Argentina will be incresingly confident that their 36-year World Cup drought could be coming to an end in Qatar.
