Messi, Argentina roll on after thrilling shootout

1 year ago 80

Lionel Messi’s quest to triumph the World Cup moves into the semi-finals aft Argentina bushed the Netherlands 4-3 successful a punishment shootout.

Messi converted his punishment successful the shootout and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez saved 2 attempts. Lautaro Martinez scored the clinching penalty.

The lucifer finished 2-2 aft other time, with Messi scoring 1 extremity and mounting up another. The Netherlands equalised successful the 11th infinitesimal of second-half stoppage time.

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Argentina volition play Croatia successful the semi-finals connected Tuesday aft the 2018 runner-up bushed Brazil.

It is lone the 2nd clip Argentina has reached the past 4 since 1990. In 2014, Messi was portion of the squad that mislaid to Germany successful the final.

He looks successful the temper to get determination again successful a tourney that helium is turning into his ain idiosyncratic item reel.

When Lautaro Martinez's punishment deed the net, Messi didn't caput to the striker — dissimilar the remainder of the squad — but sprinted to his goalkeeper and jumped into his arms.

Messi had produced a mesmerising portion of accomplishment to acceptable up the opening extremity for Nahuel Molina successful the 35th infinitesimal and past converted a punishment successful the 73rd to marque it 2-0 with his 4th extremity of this year’s World Cup.

It took him to 10 goals successful the World Cup, tied with Gabriel Batistuta for the astir for Argentina, and 94 goals successful full successful his 169 planetary games.

The crippled was taken to other clip aft a extremity heavy successful second-half stoppage clip by Wout Weghorst, who entered arsenic a substitute successful the 78th and made it 2-1 5 minutes later.

It was the latest second-half extremity scored successful a knockout-stage crippled astatine a World Cup and was cleverly worked, with Teun Koopmeiners feinting to curl a escaped footwear into the country lone to play it abbreviated and deceive the Argentine defense. Weghorst took a touch, held disconnected his marker and slotted location a decorativeness connected the stretch.

The crippled featured 17 yellowish cards, including 1 for Messi, who had humor coming from his precocious articulator astatine 1 stage.

Enzo Fernandes deed the station adjacent the extremity of other clip and was the lone Argentina subordinate to neglect to people successful the shootout.

The nonaccomplishment ended 71-year-old Louis van Gaal’s 3rd stint successful complaint of the Netherlands.

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