Netherlands 0-0 Argentina (pen 2-4): Tango spirit
The Netherlands may have been the better team, even overwhelming Argentina in 120 minutes of play, but the Tango team were the ones who deserved to play in the final, thanks to their experience in the fateful penalty shootouts.
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| Argentina reached the final after a nerve-wracking penalty shootout |
In that situation, it is not difficult to understand why during the first 45 minutes, Messi was no longer able to move freely like in the previous matches against Belgium or Switzerland. In the first half, Messi only touched the ball 28 times. As for Robben, the winger who is considered to have no lungs at the 2014 World Cup, he was even more absent. In the first 45 minutes, Robben did not have a single dribble, nor did he have a single pass across the penalty area. And the following statistics are startling: Robben only touched the ball exactly 6 times in the first half, the least among the 22 players on the field, even less than goalkeeper Romero (14).
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Argentina's complete containment of Robben and the Netherlands' ability to contain Messi were the reasons why the first half was rather dull. The Netherlands only had one shot in the first half, while Argentina had two. In the first 45 minutes, the only notable situation was Messi's 20-meter free kick that went right to goalkeeper Cillessen.
Right at the beginning of the second half, Van Gaal made an adjustment when he sent Janmaat on to replace Indi. Along with that, Kuyt was moved to the left wing instead of the right wing like at the beginning of the match. Van Gaal's change helped the Netherlands control the game better than in the first half. The proof is that in the second half, the Orange Hurricane's possession time was 56% compared to 48% in the first half. The appearance of Janmaat also helped Robben have more space.
However, Van Gaal's adjustments only helped the Netherlands keep the ball, but could not create any breakthrough situations in attack. Besides, it is also necessary to mention that the Netherlands' explosive players such as Van Persie and especially Sneijder played somewhat below their potential.
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For Argentina, coach Sabella seemed to not want to play extra time when he sent both strikers Palacio and Aguero onto the field in the last 10 minutes. However, there was too little time left for these changes to have any effect.
Not only that, Argentina almost conceded a goal if Mascherano had not blocked Robben's shot in the 90th minute. The two regular periods of the match ended in a 0-0 draw. This result was not too surprising given the calculating and cautious playing style of both teams.
Entering the extra time, both coaches Van Gaal and Sabella made tactical personnel changes. For the Netherlands, striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar was brought in to replace Van Persie. On the other side, Maxi Rodríguez was brought in to replace Lavezzi. However, the effect of these changes on the game was almost ineffective.
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Unable to settle the match after 120 minutes, the Netherlands showed weakness in the penalty shootout, when the Orange players' physical strength was clearly reduced, with Vlaar and Sneijder missing shots. Meanwhile, with 4 successful shots, the "finishing" one being Maxi Rodriguez, Albiceleste registered their name in this year's World Cup final.
LINEUP
Netherlands:Cillessen, De Vrij, Vlaar, Martins Indi (Janmaat, 46'), Kuyt, De Jong (Jordy Clasie, 62'), Sneijder, Wijnaldum, Blind, Robben, Van Persie (Huntelaar 96').
Argentina:Romero, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Garay, Rojo, Biglia, Mascherano, Lavezzi (Maxi Rodríguez 101'), Messi, Perez (Palacio, 81'), Higuain (Aguero, 82').
