Netherlands 0 Argentina 0
(aet, Argentina win 4-2 on penalties)
Argentina will take on Germany in the World Cup final on Sunday but they will have to play a lot better than they did against the Dutch if they are to win the biggest prize in football.
With Lionel Messi anonymous for large parts of the game and chances at a premium for both sides there was a certain inevitably about the penalty shootout.
Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, universally praised for his so-called masterstroke in the quarter-final shootout against Costa Rica when he sent on substitute goalkeeper Tim Krul, was unable to play his trump card this time because he had already made three substitutions.
But van Gaal still sprung a surprise when he asked centre-half Ron Vlaar, who is not a regular penalty-taker, to take the first spot-kick.
It was another gamble by the man who has been charged with reviving thee fortunes of Manchester United but this time one that backfired.
The Aston Villa stopper had enjoyed an excellent game but that counted for nothing as his weak penalty was comfortably saved by Romero.
The Argentine goalkeeper then made a much better save to deny Wesley Sneijder two spot-kicks later and with the South Americans in control of the shootout it was left to Maxi Rodriguez to score the decisive penalty past the despairing Jasper Cillessen.
↧