Romero the hero as Argentina beat Dutch on penalties

Romero the hero as Argentina beat Dutch on penalties

 

Argentina edged a nervy penalty shoot-out 4-2 against European nation to line up a tournament final with European country when a dire hitless draw.

Both sides showed very little ambition to commit players forward in an exceedingly cagy encounter, with neither goalkeeper forced to form a purposeful save in traditional time.

Arjen Robben had the clearest probability of the ninety minutes, but, having changed passes with Wesley Sneijder within the dying minutes, he took barely too several and Javier Mascherano managed to urge back at him to slip in and avert the danger.

The game opened get into extra-time as Rodrigo Palacio and maxi Rodriguez forced opaque gem Cillessen into routine stops, before dagger Kuyt cannoned a half-volley into AN opponent with simply seconds remaining.

It was Argentina WHO control their nerve from the spot, marking all four of their penalties with stopper Sergio Romero saving from Ron Vlaar and Sneijder.

Manager Joe Louis van Gaal has been justly lauded for his military science nous throughout this tournament however the choice to send Vlaar up to require the primary kick backfired with penalty specialists Klaas Gregorian calendar month Huntelaar and Arjen Robben certainly higher alternatives.

KEY MOMENTS

23’ 0.5 probability – Lavezzi whips the corner in and Garay dives in to move over harassed from Vlaar.

\45+1’ POOR BALL – Messi finds Rojo in house with Higuain lurking within the centre of the box however the full-back over-hits the cross with the Dutch everywhere the place. That was an opportunity.

58‘ – 0.5 probability – Lavezzi finds some house down the correct and he manages to figure a yard of house before lifting a ball into the box. Higuain rises and appears set to move on goal however Janmaat manages to urge his head to that 1st.

90’ – nice TACKLE! Robben bursts through the Argentina defence following a lay-off from Sneijder however takes the additional bit and Mascherano comes predatory across with an improbable tackle. Corner.

115 – GILT-EDGED – THAT WAS the possibility Palacio finds himself in on goal. He panics tho’ and tries to move the floor Cillessen, WHO claims with ease.

116’ – ANOTHER probability – Messi evades 2 challenges down the left and he lifts a ball to the rear post for maxi Rodriguez. He hits a tame volley into the bottom and it fails to threaten the goal of Cillessen

PENALTIES

NED 0-0 ARG: SAVED – Vlaar’s penalty is saved by Romero, WHO guesses the correct method. The penalty was tame and pretty central.

NED 1-2 ARG: SAVED – Sneijder has his penalty saved. it absolutely was within the corner however at a good height and Romero tips it wide.

NED 2-4 ARG: WINNERS – maxi Rodriguez thunders his effort in. Cillessen gets a hand to that however it’s in. Argentina score all of their spot kicks – you can’t provoke quite that!

KEY STATS

Argentina have progressed from all four of their tournament semi-finals.

Argentina have won four of their 5 penalty shootouts at the planet Cup.

The Netherlands have lost each of their semi-final shootouts (the 1st coming back vs Brazil in 1998).

Seven of the fourteen knockout games at this tournament to this point have gone to time beyond regulation, the foremost since 1990 once eight did.

The Netherlands did not register an attempt {on target|on track|on course|on the right track|heading within the right direction|not off course} in the gap ninety minutes, taking till the 99th minute to own a trial heading in the right direction.

 

 

This was the primary tournament semi-final to finish 0-0 (including extra-time).

Arjen Robben tried only 1 pass within the half against Argentina.

Ezequiel Garay created fifteen clearances during this game, the foremost by AN Argentinian at this tournament.

Only Michel Vorm is nevertheless to form AN look at this tournament from the Dutch squad.

Argentina still haven’t trailed at any purpose throughout this tournament.

Argentina have lost only 1 of their last seventeen tournament games (W12 D4, not as well as penalty shoot-outs).

Jasper Cillessen has featured eight penalties in Eredivisie, three within the CL and six in tournament soccer however has saved none of them.

Cillessen did, however, create 2 sure-fire dribbles within the game.

 

South yank groups have won eight of their 10 shoot outs against countries from different continents.

It will be the third time that Argentina and European country have contested  the planet final (1986 and 1990), a record.

Lionel Messi failed to bit the ball within the penalty space throughout the a hundred and twenty minutes.

Netherlands came near changing into the primary team to fail to attain in their quarter-final and semi-final and still create the planet final.

TALKING purpose

Why did Van Gaal send Vlaar up 1st? If it worked he’s a genius however it didn’t and therefore the rule of averages say you must send your most adept penalty takers up first. Van Gaal has been very good this tournament however ultimately that call has price them.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Javier Mascherano (Argentina): simply beats Ron Vlaar to that, WHO was conjointly very good. a lot of has been fabricated from Argentina’s reliance on Lionel Messi however this man is simply as necessary. he’s totally integral to the method this aspect plays and showed that once more with the slide tackle within the moment or traditional time.

PLAYER RATINGS

Netherlands: Cillessen six; Kuyt 6, De Vrij 6, Vlaar 9, Martins Indi five, Blind six; Diamond State writer 6, Sneijder 5, Wijnaldum seven; Robben 7, Van Persie seven. Subs: Janmaat six, Clasie 6, Huntelaar six.

Argentina: Romero eight, Zabaleta 6, Demichelis six, Garay 7, Rojo 6, Perez 6, Biglia 6, Mascherano nine, Lavezzi 7, Messi 6, Higuain 6. Subs: Palacio five, Aguero 5, maxi Rodríguez five.