Goals: None
Recap: It took four rounds of penalties, but Argentina was finally able to move past the Netherlands on Wednesday after a scoreless draw.
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Despite the technical football being played, chances were few and far between for both sides. Argentina had the most dangerous of the two in extra time, but neither Rodrigo Palacio nor Maxi Rodriguez could capitalize on their chances. That wouldn’t be the case in penalty kicks. All four Argentines buried theirs. Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder didn't.
Argentina returns to the World Cup final for the first time since 1990.
Key Moment: Louis Van Gaal has been a tactical masterclass this World Cup. With penalties looming, he opted to substitute in Klaas Jan Huntelaar for Robin van Persie in the 96th minute. Against Costa Rica, the native Dutchman saved his final change for penalty specialist Tim Krul. He didn’t this time. The difference: An exit instead of advancement.
Man of the Match: The defensive abilities of Ron Vlaar were on display in Sao Paulo. The 29-year-old finished the match winning 75 percent of his aerial duels, 11 effective clearances and six interceptions. The match isn’t scoreless after 120 minutes if not for him.
Lesson Learned: FIFA is trailing the NFL by a significant margin in regard to concussions. After a brutal head collision, Argentina’s Pablo Mascherano was down for the count. Less than three minutes later, he was back on the pitch. It takes at least six minutes to administer a standardised assessment of concussion, not two. This isn’t the 1950’s, but it may take someone’s life before FIFA addresses this life-threatening issue.
Up Next: Argentina travels to Rio de Janeiro to face Germany in the World Cup final on June 13, while the Netherlands visits Brasilia to face Brazil on June 12 for third place.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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