Argentina took on the Netherlands in the second quarterfinal of the FIFA World Cup. The teams already knew their semifinal opponents as Croatia beat Brazil in the first quarterfinal.
However, the second quarterfinal was full of drama as the game saw fourteen yellow cards and a player sent off. The brawl in the 88th minute made the headlines for the game.
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It was an intensely fought battle between Argentina and the Netherlands for a place in the semis. During the last few minutes in the regulation time, nerves were high, and players were going for the tackles to keep the game alive in their favor, and things heated up.
Players lost their cool in the dying moments
The game started with high intensity as both teams tried to prove their dominance. The first half saw Argentina get a lead. After the goal, anxiety increased among the Netherlands players. Although they didn’t take the advantage of their possession and went behind in the 73rd minute.
The moment Argentina scored the second goal, things started to intensify. Both teams made some tactical substitutions.
The Netherlands were on point with the substitution, got the goal back in the 83rd minute, and started pushing for the equalizer. Argentina players panicked and made some cynical and unnecessary fouls in the dangerous area.
SOCCER BRAWL pic.twitter.com/165fbxIxUJ
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Argentine player Leandro Paredes lost his cool and made a bad tackle on Nathan Ake. He didn’t wait there and kicked the ball toward the Netherlands bench. It resulted in a big brawl as the Netherlands players were not pleased, and the whole bench rushed toward the player.
The situation got out of control and took time to settle. Paredes was lucky to escape the red card for two back-to-back fouls. The result was 10 minutes of extra time.
The Netherlands scored the equalizer in the added time, taking the game to extra time and later to the penalties. There was a flurry of cards shown to the players even after the penalty shootout, and the referee sent Denzel Dumfries off.
FIFA World Cup Knockout stage can’t stop entertaining
The FIFA World Cup gathered momentum from matchday 3, and the knockout stage has been at its peak. The trend of shocking results continues.
Morocco beat Spain in the round of 16 game, and Croatia beat favorites Brazil on the penalties. Argentina vs Netherlands game entertained us with the match events and the high-voltage penalty shootout.
Argentina prevailed on the penalties in the game, and the scenes after the match were evidence of how intense the game was. Dumfries got a red card (two yellow cards) after the penalty shootout. The Argentine players celebrated their victory to the fullest, mocking the opposition.
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The first two quarterfinals went to penalties, setting the tone for the remaining two quarterfinals. It will be interesting to see how the only South American team in the competition plays its next game. Argentina will look for revenge against Croatia.
Croatia beat them in the group stage of the World Cup 2018. Although, Croatia has proved once again what they are capable of with a victory over Brazil.
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Will Croatia create another upset? Will Argentina go all the way and win it for Lionel Messi? Let us know your predictions in the comments.