Argentina dispatches Netherlands in World Cup thriller

Something is in the air in Qatar.

After Croatia and Brazil played the game of the tournament, Argentina and the Netherlands may have upstaged them. Friday’s second quarterfinal had everything: goals and chances aplenty, a Lionel Messi goal, a huge Dutch comeback, a full-on fight, a World Cup-record 17 yellow cards and a penalty shootout.

When the dust settled, the favorite had moved on, though it took a lot. Argentina eliminated the Netherlands, winning 4-3 on penalties after finishing extra time at 2-2.

“We had to suffer,” Messi said. “But we got through.”

This was the sixth game played between the two in World Cup history — the last coming in 2014, when Argentina eliminated the Netherlands on penalties in the semifinals.

The game started inconspicuously with a 35th-minute goal by Nahuel Molina, assisted by Messi, but the first half was actionless otherwise, except for fouls and a few yellow cards.

The second half, too, began pretty slowly before Messi drew a foul in the box, leading to a penalty kick, which he tucked in the back of the net for his fourth goal of the World Cup and Argentina’s second of the game.

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With the Dutch reeling and needing two goals to keep their dream alive, that’s where the action picked up.

Ten minutes after Argentina made it 2-0, Wout Weghorst headed the ball down and into the net off a long cross from Steven Berghuis and the Dutch were back in the game. In the 88th minute, Argentina’s Leandro Paredes violently slide-tackled Nathan Ake and then fired the ball into the already angry Dutch bench, who got up and surrounded Paredes in a benches-clearing brawl.

Messi was critical of the Spanish referee, Antonio Mateu, saying: “I don’t think he was up to the standard. He was very harmful for us.”

After all of that was cleared up, there were 10 minutes of added time to play and the Dutch still needed a goal. That goal was found off the foot of Weghorst, his second of the game, off a free kick from Teun Koopmeiners, who opted for a pass just outside the box to Weghorst.

In extra time, Argentina applied pressure, but the Netherlands’ defenders stood up to the task with a few blocks and a save from goalie Andries Noppert.

The Argentinian goalie didn’t make a save in open play yet made saves on the first two Dutch penalties. On the flip side, Argentina scored their first three, and though the Dutch came back to tie the shootout at three apiece after Enzo Fernandez missed a penalty, Lautaro Martinez converted Argentina’s fifth shot and set them to the semifinals.