Argentina

Messi and Argentina advance to the World Cup semifinals against Croatia after defeating the Netherlands on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.

He continued: “It was a very hard match form the beginning. So when [Lautaro Martínez](https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/lautaro-martinez-player), the fifth shooter, put his shot into the back of the net, Argentina was on to the semifinals and a meeting with Croatia, which eliminated Brazil on penalty kicks in Tuesday’s other semifinal. After the loss, he confirmed he was stepping down from the Dutch national team. And though he won the Golden Ball as the most valuable player in that tournament, it was a prize he cradled dejectedly as Germany’s players accepted their winners’ medals. It is something very positive when you see the whole team wanting to take a penalty. It’s the fourth time Argentina has advanced to a World Cup semifinal. The goal was Messi’s 10th in World Cup play, two more than Maradona. More important, they sent the game to extra time, the fourth knockout game in this tournament to extend beyond 90 minutes. “Our objective is to play all seven games,” he said. And he has largely carried Argentina there himself, scoring or assisting on six of the team’s nine goals, including playing a role in both scores Friday. But he won a World Cup, which is why there’s a religion in Argentina named after him while Messi doesn’t even have his own church. But if he’s to retire as the greatest player of his generation, he needs to win soccer’s biggest prize.

El equipo balcánico dio el golpe, eliminó a Brasil y se enfrentará por tercera vez a la Albiceleste en una Copa del Mundo.

[Japón](/futbol/equipo/_/id/627/japon), que le manejó el encuentro. ¡Se viene el desempate en una semifinal histórica!— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) Por el Grupo D del Mundial de Rusia 2018, el equipo dirigido por entonces por Jorge Sampaoli cayó por 3-0 con los goles de Ante Rebic, Luka Modric e Iván Rakitic. [Croacia dio el batacazo al eliminar a Brasil en cuartos de final](/futbol/numeritos/_/juegoId/633843), luego de empatar 1-1 en los 120 minutos y se impuso en los penales. Pero logró [reinvindicarse con un 4-1 sobre Canadá](/futbol/reporte?juegoId=633811), al remontar un rápido gol de [Alphonso Davies](/futbol/jugador/_/id/236721/alphonso-davies) a los dos minutos. [un olvidable 0-0 frente a Marruecos](/futbol/reporte?juegoId=633795).

La albiceleste venció a los neerlandeses en la tanda de penaltis, luego de que Países Bajos empatara 2-2 con un agónico gol en la prórroga.

En el minuto 62 enfiló la pelota peligrosamente al palo del arquero, pero el balón pasó rozando el travesaño. Esperaban generar una oportunidad y así siguieron al iniciar el segundo tiempo. Miles coreaban el "¡Vamos, vamos, Argentina!"

Messi converted his penalty in the shootout and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez saved two attempts. Lautaro Martinez scored the clinching penalty. The ...

The hopes of Argentina and Lionel Messi winning the World Cup remain very much alive after a nerve-shredding penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands ...

However, if there’s one thing the World Cup in Qatar has shown, it’s that these matches are never over until the referee blows for full time. This was the sixth World Cup meeting between these two teams and this fixture has provided plenty of history over the years. Just when you think you’ve seen it all in his 18-year career, Messi still finds a way to leave mouths agape. However, Messi and Argentina were not to be denied and held their cool from the spot to bring to a close an incredible evening of football. That day is now one step closer. The hopes of Argentina and Lionel Messi winning the

Argentina let a two-goal lead slip after the 82nd minute, but Emi Martinez's shootout heroics ensured they bested the Dutch for a spot in the semis.

It was his seventh overall in the tournament, tied for second most with Grzegorz Lato of [Poland](/soccer/team?id=471) behind Diego Maradona's eight. He becomes the first Dutch men's player to score two goals as a substitute in a World Cup match. - Messi's penalty gives him 17 goal involvements in a World Cup, surpassing Maradona (16) for the most all time among Argentina men. [Bracket](https://www.espn.com/soccer/bracket) First, he set up [Nahuel Molina](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/164826/Nahuel-Molina)'s opener and then slotted home a second-half penalty. Although the final iteration was shifted slightly -- Van Gaal had already put together a plan for the last throes of the match if they were chasing a goal. Handballs went missing -- including a blatant one by Messi in the 55h minute -- and he managed to make himself the centre of attention. [Best/worst performers](#bestworst) [Highlights and notable moments](#highlights) He drifted along the edge of the Netherlands box, and with one flick, took four Dutch defenders out of the play and found the onrushing Molina, who had space to side-foot it past Extra time was a tense affair, but it was the Albiceleste who edged out the Netherlands on penalties with Martinez the hero. [Schedule](/soccer/fixtures?league=fifa.world)

La Albiceleste sufrió en la tanda de penaltis pero logró el boleto a las Semifinales donde enfrentará a Croacia por el boleto a la Final.

A Argentina le faltó manejar el partido y a diferencia de Australia, los neerlandeseses tuvieron la puntería en el momento preciso. Sin embargo, la apuesta la salió mal a Van Gaal, la experiencia de los argentinos se impuso desde los once pasos. Aunque los neerandeses lograron tomar el control de la pelota, la marca precisa de los sudamericanos dejaba sin ocasioens claras a la Oranje, mientras que Argentina tenía a merced la posibilidad de conseguir un contragolpe. El rosarino leyó a la perfección el movimiento de Nahuel Molina y puso en ventaja a su compañero para que le ganara el mano a mano a Blind y ante la salida del portero, definió sin titubear para romper el cero a los 35 minutos. Messi coqueteó con la posibilidad de redondear su noche con un tiro libre en tres cuartos que pasó muy cerca de colgarse en la escuadra. Emiliano 'Dibu' Martínez y Lionel Messi fueron los héroes de la Selección de Argentina este viernes.

An all-time comeback ends in defeat for the Netherlands as Lionel Messi advances in his last World Cup.

Suddenly, the Argentines could feel the breath of the Dutch on their necks. In the stands, the fans roared, their fear converted into a vaguely primal sound. But that would have been the easy way, and Argentina does not take the easy way. Leandro Paredes sparked a mass confrontation with the Dutch substitutes and was fortunate not to be sent off. The players scrapped and clawed at each other. They were going to have to do this the hard way. The prospect felt, in that moment, less of a fever dream than ever. Louis van Gaal, the Dutch coach, has spent much of the last year or so locked in a philosophical battle with elements of his homeland’s news media. The hardest, in fact. Argentina’s players slumped to the floor, their certainty shredded, the score tied. Barely a couple of hours later, the second victory seemed secure. And then, all of a sudden, they were not.

The actual football will be remembered for a pass for the ages from Lionel Messi and a brilliant Dutch comeback that was inspired by Wout Weghorst, the 6ft 6in ...

“He gave a free kick outside the box to them two or three times. “The referee was giving everything to them. “We were scared before the game because we knew what this was. Messi later told Mexican television network DeporTV: “I was angry because a coach like Van Gaal is, with the experience he has… I feel like he had disrespected the Argentine national team.” But Riquelme’s short-lived Barcelona spell was effectively ended by Van Gaal in his 2002-03 debut season, starting him only six times in La Liga before he was sent to Villarreal on a two-year loan the next summer following the signing of Brazil international Ronaldinho. [Whether he does get punished for his post-match comments about referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz remains to be seen](https://theathletic.com/3987214/2022/12/09/messi-martinez-argentina-referee/). Messi was a Barcelona youngster by then and will have seen how his countryman was treated. The defender hit the ball so hard that both his feet were off the ground — fortunately for the Netherlands’ coaches and substitutes, his time-wasting clearance strikes an empty seat, rather than an opponent. Those histrionics would come back to bite him before the end of normal time. But that was only a precursor of things to come. If feisty is your thing, then this was the match for you.

Croatia continues to play up to its competition while Lionel Messi keeps Argentina in contention. Here's everything that happened at the World Cup on ...

[World Cup](https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/2022-fifa-world-cup): [Netherlands vs. Portugal](https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup-men-w55-world-vs-w56-world-dec-10-2022-game-boxscore-97072), 10 a.m. [Ivan Perišić's](https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/ivan-perisic-player) son, who appears to have checked to make sure the Brazilian star was OK. [Tom Brady grew up a 49ers fan. Morocco is the biggest underdog left in the tournament, and it has to go up against a red-hot Portugal side. Unfortunately for the Dutch, it suffered the same fate it did in the 2014 World Cup semifinals: a loss to Argentina in a penalty shootout. France](https://www.foxsports.com/soccer/fifa-world-cup-men-w51-world-vs-w52-world-dec-10-2022-game-boxscore-97063), 2 p.m. Weghorst also scored the goal that got the Netherlands within one goal. And they would have, had Even on Friday, Brazil looked like the better team, outshooting Croatia 21-9 and winning the xG battle 2.56 to 0.62. [Argentina 2 (4), Netherlands 2 (3)](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/world-cup-2022-top-plays-netherlands-argentina-quarterfinals) [Croatia 1 (4), Brazil 1 (2)](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/world-cup-2022-top-plays-croatia-brazil-quarterfinals)

After 120 minutes of riveting and contentious soccer, after the Dutch recovered from a two-goal deficit late in regulation to force a 2-2 tie, after the ...

[a has won the World Cup](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/12/18/france-vs-argentina-world-cup-final/?itid=lb_world-cup-in-qatar_1), defeating France in penalty kicks in a thrilling final in Lusail, Qatar, for its first world championship since 1986. “It was a very hard match from the beginning,” he said. And though the Dutch began the night as clear underdogs, Argentina was hardly invincible, having [lost to Saudi Arabia in the group opener](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/11/22/saudi-arabia-world-cup-upset/?itid=lk_inline_manual_30) and survived a round-of-16 scare from Australia. Substitute Teun Koopmeiners took it, but instead of lifting the ball over the wall, he fooled Argentina by sliding a soft pass to Weghorst stationed next to the barricade. In the first half, the Netherlands set a deliberate pace, preventing Argentina from operating at speed and causing some uneasy moments for Messi and Co. The second half did not offer much hope to the Dutch. Messi now had the space to do as he pleased. If we go to penalties, we win,’ ” Martinez said. [the 2026 competition taking place in the United States, Mexico and Canada](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/06/16/2026-world-cup-host-cities/?itid=lk_inline_manual_17) — the 35-year-old [Messi said this will be his last World Cup](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/17/messi-world-cup-argentina/?itid=lk_inline_manual_17). The game against Croatia will be a beautiful game, and we hope to rise up to the standards.” It is something very positive when you see the whole team wanting to take a penalty, and then we had Emiliano. Inside and outside the stadium, many Argentine fans watching Brazil on mobile phones took great pleasure in seeing their rivals fall in a relatively early stage.

El arquero argentino Emiliano Martínez tapa el disparo de Virgil van Dijk en la tanda de penales en los cuartos de final del Mundial, el viernes 9 de diciembre ...

Pero Werghorst, que había ingresado por Memphis Depay a los 78 minutos, devolvió a Holanda a la vida. Al final de un primer tiempo sin peligro en las áreas, Argentina abrió el marcador con una asistencia de Lionel Messi al lateral Nahuel Molina. Con este tanto, Messi llegó a los diez goles en mundiales y alcanzó el récord del delantero Gabriel Batistuta como máximo artillero argentino del certamen.

Lionel Messi may no longer be what he was, but he showed that he can do everything to drag Argentina to glory -- the good, the tough and the ugly.

[Frenkie de Jong](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/219022/Frenkie-de-Jong) in his wake by running across the edge of the penalty area before spotting full-back Molina out of the corner of his eye and instantly released the defender with a reverse pass into the penalty area. But Messi's pass was similar to that of his great predecessor against Brazil at the 1990 tournament, when Maradona held off a pack of defenders before playing a pinpoint pass for Claudio Caniggia, who scored to win the game. A few years ago, as he entered shooting range of goal, he would put his foot on the gas and go for it, but on this occasion, he knew that he couldn't get through a packed Dutch defence on his own. Whether it is with silk or steel, Messi is keeping his and Argentina's hopes alive. It needs the Messi factor and his ongoing pursuit of the achievement that would give him equal status with Diego Maradona in Argentine hearts. You can see it at times when he shuffles away from an opponent with a swerve or feint, rather than the burst of pace he once possessed at his absolute peak. After all, football at the highest level should be about moments of fantasy, of images that last a lifetime, and Messi delivered one of those with the stunning reverse pass to Molina. It ended a bad-tempered game, with 11 Argentina bookings, two mass confrontations between both sets of players and some provocative, goading celebrations at the end by Argentina in front of their beaten opponents. Prior to Messi's game-changing contribution, the Dutch were threatening to suffocate this encounter with their passive, risk-averse football. Genius can take you only so far, especially if your team is as flawed as Messi's [Argentina](/soccer/team?id=202), but the fairy-tale story can still have the perfect ending. But let's put the brakes on the fantasy, for now. [Croatia](/soccer/team?id=477) on Tuesday.

Weather warnings issued as worshippers brave temperatures to celebrate Catholic holy day.

South America has not been the only region experiencing warmer than average temperatures recently. On 30 November, a thunderstorm in Buenos Aires produced hailstones the size of golf balls. Weather warnings for extreme heat were issued by the Argentinian and the Paraguayan national meteorological services this week, as temperatures rose 10C above the seasonal norm for several days in many places.

Martinez made diving saves off penalties from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis in a 4-3 shootout win over the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Friday, ...

Lionel Messi threaded a perfect pass to Nahuel Molina, who scored his first international goal for Argentina. Follow live.

Netherlands vs. Argentina will be remembered for the 18 yellow cards and one red dished out by the referee to set a World Cup record.

Four more came in the second. Nine cards came in the first half, then another seven as Cameroon substitute Patrick Ruffo was sent off on 78 minutes. Note: The first time red and yellow cards were used was at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. - [Bracket](https://www.espn.com/soccer/bracket) Defender [Denzel Dumfries](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/213248/Denzel-Dumfries) was handed two yellow cards in quick succession during the penalty shootout. "If you talk they sanction you; FIFA must think about it, they can't put a referee who isn't up to the task for these instances." [Lionel Messi](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/45843/Lionel-Messi)'s goal and assist, Argentina threw away their lead in a late collapse in regulation time. [Schedule](/soccer/fixtures?league=fifa.world)

FIFA opens a disciplinary case against Argentina for its players' actions during a contentious World Cup quarterfinal match against the Netherlands.

[World Cup](https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup) quarterfinal match against the Netherlands. There were more heated exchanges on the field after Argentina won the penalty shootout following the 2-2 draw. [https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup](https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup) and [https://twitter.com/AP_Sports](https://twitter.com/AP_Sports)

El periodismo internacional reaccionó ante lo vivido por dos gigantes de futbol que enfrentan realidades diferentes. | Deportes Mundial - Qatar 2022 | TUDN ...

La prensa de ambos países involucrados directamente reaccionó ante lo vivido. Por su parte el Diaro de Sao Paulo en su sección de deportes puso un encabezado en el que lamentaron la eliminación: "Fin del sueño del hexa", haciendo referencia a la sexta Copa del Mundo que buscaba Brasil. Así retratan en Sudamérica el pase de Argentina y el adiós de Brasil

The image of Emiliano Martinez pumping up the crowd after back-to-back penalty-shootout saves felt a century old already by the time Lautaro Martinez ...

That match will be talked about as long as the sport is played and remembered, particularly for the two nations who previously had little reason for establishing any sort of on-pitch rivalry. The sheer pain and heartache of defeat, one which came after forcing extra time from a near inconceivable position. Somehow his [postgame comments](https://www.espn.in/football/argentina-arg/story/4829757/lionel-messi-says-netherlands-coach-van-gaal-disrespected-him-before-argentina-world-cup-win) directed at Dutch manager Louis Van Gaal were more emblematic of the game. Argentina’s penalty shootout win over the Netherlands capped a sensational World Cup game that had nearly all the shithousery and drama a football fan could ask for. Somewhat remarkably, the game avoided turning into a brawl. The image of Emiliano Martinez pumping up the crowd after back-to-back penalty-shootout saves felt a century old already by the time Lautaro Martinez stepped up to take his decisive spot-kick.

DOHA, Qatar (AP) FIFA opened a disciplinary case against Argentina for its players' actions during a contentious World Cup quarterfinal match against the ...

But after coming together to win Messi's first international tournament in the 2022 Copa America, could the team be developing enough grit to hold things ...

Even the petulance that saw Argentina pick up nine yellow cards is a necessary fight to advance in a knockout tournament. He scored a brace in the match sending the match into stoppage time. After Marcos Acuna drew a penalty in the 71st minute, Messi was then able to convert from the spot to double the advantage. The team didn't make things easy dropping a 2-0 advantage to the Netherlands, conceding twice in the final minutes, but Messi did everything that he could in the match. The Word Cup is the one thing missing from Messi's illustrious trophy cabinet but after defeating the Netherlands in a penalty shootout on Friday in the quarterfinals, Argentina are now two wins from reaching the goal. In other tournaments, the supporting cast of the Argentina national team has found a way to let him down in big moments.