Netherlands 2-2 Argentina, 3-4 on penalties (Weghorst 83′, 90+11′ | Messi 35′, P 73′) (Koopmeiners, Weghorst, L. De Jong | Messi, Paredes, Montiel, Martinez)
LUSAIL STADIUM — In years from now, they will meet up and they will talk about it long into the night. If all goes well over the next 10 days, they will laugh and joke and remember the night when the Dutch giant almost broke their world.
Argentina watched their greatest rivals tumble out of the World Cup to open up their own path. They watched their team march into a lead. And then they watched it disappear into the warm Lusail night. They will be grateful for the late salvation.
You can like other sports more, if you must. You can not like sport at all, although thoughts are with you. There is plenty to dislike about football, about its governance and about this tournament. But when two teams and one ball meet over and over and over again in a million different locations, sometimes magic is made and somehow that magic occurs on the greatest stage.
The first half of the match belonged to Lionel Messi, who played a pass that nobody else on the pitch even saw: none of the four Dutch defenders, including Nathan Ake who felt the ball go through his legs and the joy tumble out of his soul; not Andries Noppert, who was slow to come off his line; none of Messi’s teammates, who looked overcome by what they had witnessed.
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The second half of the match belonged to a striker who scored two goals in 20 games for Burnley last season as they were relegated to the Championship, and then ended up in the place that every half-decent-but-not-quite-decent-enough striker ends up before long: the Turkish Super Lig. Welcome to TotaalWoutbal. Not sure if Rinus Michels would be horrified or amused.
You know how it is. You’re packing for a World Cup and you’re not sure which of your battering ram, less than prolific centre forwards you want to take and so you end up packing all three. Luuk de Jong, Vincent Janssen and Wout Weghorst – three strikers who scored four goals in a combined 63 Premier League appearances.
Weghorst was the lightning that struck twice. His first was at least from his usual playbook; when you can rise half a foot higher than anyone else on the pitch you will win headers. The equaliser was exquisite: the gumption to attempt a free-kick move in the 11th minute of stoppage time is one thing, pulling it off quite another. And still it wasn’t enough.
Extra-time became a game within a game, a street fight that caused multiple flashpoints on the pitch. This game will get its own Wikipedia page in the next few days or weeks – “The Battle Of Lusail”. Somewhere near the bottom, it will mention that Argentina won on penalties thanks to Emi Martinez of Aston Villa. There are heroes at both ends of the pitch.
To say that those who cheered (and many cried) at full time will miss Messi when he has gone is so emphatically obvious that it needs no mention. That is why they are here in greater numbers than any other country, so that in 30 years they can ease into a comfy chair and tell their juniors about the man who made magic real. They almost lost him tonight. Thank Emi.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/ITbkEJn
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