LUSAIL: Argentine goalkeeper Emi Martinez saved penalties from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis before Lautaro Martinez scored the winning spot kick to secure them a 4-3 shootout win over the Netherlands on Friday after their World Cup quarter-final finished 2-2 after 120 minutes.

In a scrappy half-hour of extra time with the scores level, Enzo Fernandez rattled the post in the closing seconds while Martinez and German Pezzella also had efforts blocked or parried away as Argentina desperately pushed for a winner.

Argentina will next face Croatia in the semi-final.

The Netherlands had rarely troubled Argentina during the match before substitute Wout Weghorst’s header 10 minutes later sparked them into life and he rolled the ball past goalkeeper Emi Martinez deep into stoppage time to send the game into extra time.

Lionel Messi superbly set up Molina for their first-half opener, threading a sublime pass through the Dutch defence, before coolly slotting in a penalty in the 73rd minute.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2022