Messi's Argentina emerged from a tremendous, rough and anguishing game for everyone, heading towards the semifinal against Croatia.
He did it just after Brazil, his most classic rival, left Qatar through the cat flap.
Of course, Argentina was in suspense until the end.
And what an ending!
The Netherlands, a lukewarm team until then, equalized 0-2 in the last blink of the game.
Werghorst, who barely appeared on Dutch cards, did both miracles.
With the nut knotted, Argentina, hanging on
Dibu
Martínez, who saved two penalties on the wheel, beat a rival whose rennet came late.
As in Brazil 2014, Argentina condemned the Netherlands on penalties.
This Albiceleste is a brotherhood around Messi, who looks as sharp as he is plugged in.
The Netherlands, cold most of the night, too Cartesian, only went up a gear at the end, when Weghorst lit up.
Two similarly tuned teams paraded in the imposing Lusail stadium.
The unnatural Netherlands of the very peculiar Van Gaal with his 3-4-1-2, nothing to do with the refreshing Netherlands that cultivated extremes and didn't look so much in the rear-view mirror.
This selection of Van Gaal is not at all exploratory.
In the absence of the talents of other times, efficiency.
The Netherlands of Cruyff and Van Basten is today the Netherlands of Van Dijk, a great defender, but a defender.
Opposite, an Argentina with the same symmetry.
Without Di María at the start, injured, Scaloni recruited a third center-back, Lisandro.
So couples all over the field.
On the outside a change of needles between laterals;
Through the funnel, at base camp, under the orders of Messi and Frenkie de Jong, two beacons.
Until Messi took out the violin, the game was nothing cosmetic.
A lot of scrubbing in the intermediate areas, where everyone left their skin, and without warnings in the areas, as if they had piranhas.
In his own way, Messi was scanning the match.
Since nothing was happening there, everyone was pleased, except the man from Rosario.
At 35, he still suffices to be the best catalyst in the midfield and the most clinical stand-up near someone else's ranch.
The Argentine players celebrate the pass to the semifinals after beating the Netherlands in the penalty shootout.
Thanassis Stavrakis (AP)
The Argentine coach, Lionel Scaloni, embraces Lionel Messi at the end of the match. Ricardo Mazalan (AP)
Argentina's goalkeeper, Emiliano Martínez, and the captain of the albiceleste team, Lionel Messi, celebrate their advance to the semifinals.
PAUL CHILDS (REUTERS)
Lautaro Martínez scores the penalty that has given Argentina a pass to the semifinals.
Jorge Saenz (AP)
Lautaro Martinez shoots in the decisive penalty.
Noushad Thekkayil (EFE)
Lautaro Martínez celebrates with his teammates from the Argentine team the penalty that gave them the victory against the Netherlands.
ALBERTO PIZZOLI (AFP)
Emiliano Martinez for the penalty taken by Steven Berghuis. Natacha Pisarenko (AP)
Messi leaves behind the Dutch Cody Gakpo, Virgil van Dijk and Marten de Roon. MOLLY DARLINGTON (REUTERS)
Wout Weghorst celebrates with his teammates the second goal of the Netherlands' comeback.
PAUL CHILDS (REUTERS)
Wout Weghorst from the Netherlands scores the second goal for his team in a set play.
Julian Finney (Getty Images)
Wout Weghorst shot on goal in the rehearsed play that made it 2 to 2 on the scoreboard.
Ariel Schalit (AP)
Tangana in the last minutes of the second half.
Ricardo Mazalan (AP)
The referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz warns the Argentine Leandro Paredes.
KAI PFAFFENBACH (REUTERS)
Wout Weghorst celebrates his team's first goal. Alberto Estevez (EFE)
The Dutchman Wout Weghorst scores the first goal for his team.
KAI PFAFFENBACH (REUTERS)
The Dutchman Teun Koopmeiners finishes off with a header.
Natacha Pisarenko (AP)
Messi celebrates the penalty goal scored against the Netherlands.
Jaime Villanueva Sanchez
Messi scores a penalty against the Netherlands.
Hassan Ammar (AP)
Nahuel Molina celebrates with Lionel Messi his goal against the Netherlands.
KAI PFAFFENBACH (REUTERS)
The players of the Argentina team celebrate the first goal of the match. Jaime Villanueva Sánchez
Virgil van Dijk and Lionel Messi, at one point in the game.
Ricardo Mazalan (AP)
Nahuel Molina shoots pays goal in the quarterfinal match between the Netherlands and Argentina. Jaime Villanueva Sánchez
Lionel Messi and Nathan Ake fight for a ball.
MANAN VATSYAYANA (AFP)
Lionel Messi shoots on goal once in the first half of the Netherlands-Argentina game.
PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA (AFP)
The Spanish referee Antonio Mateu, during the first period of the Netherlands - Argentina.
Rungroj Yongrit (EFE)
Lionel Messi jumps to finish off a ball in the presence of Nathan Ake.
Jorge Saenz (AP)
Lionel Messi, after being brought down by a Dutch player.
Natacha Pisarenko (AP)
The Dutchman Denzel Dumfries shoots on goal. Natacha Pisarenko (AP)
Louis van Gaal, Dutch coach.
KAI PFAFFENBACH (REUTERS)
Nor was the expansive De Jong lacking in skill, always with a panoramic view, always facing the Argentine goal.
Unexpectedly, Messi got a scribble more than a shot on the only South American occasion before Molina's hole, which nobody expected in the goal, luck in which he is an outsider.
Bergwijn responded to Messi's shot with a blow with a bunion.
The shock lacked volume, some grace.
Neither the Dutch nor the Argentines allowed themselves the slightest joy.
The party did not admit paladins.
Except Messi, of course.
Shortly after the half hour mark, he streaked from midfield towards Noppert's goal.
Since the guy has a thousand eyes on his left boot —it's amazing that with that left foot he has another leg—, he guessed, intuited, or who knows how, but he made an appointment with Molina, who was thrown to his right, with the goal.
The mattress maker, infected by the Messi wave, capable of illustrating the most unexpected, was skilful against Noppert.
With the 0-1, waiting for another top hat from Rosario, Scaloni's team had to work hard.
Roll-up is plenty.
Especially in the candy box that its monumental fans turned the Lusail stadium into.
Some kind of outburst was expected from the Netherlands.
She didn't have it until he found himself in the abyss.
It is too rigid a selection, it is difficult for it to flow if it does not save De Jong, the only one that gives it spark.
Gakpo, flourished in this tournament, has more goal than game and there were no footprints from Memphis.
Van Gaal intervened around the hour.
He gave ball to the other De Jong, Luuk, and retired Blind to close with only four defenders, with Aké as a left-back.
De Jong, Luuk, is not an ordinary striker, you have to put him in flight.
The Netherlands lacks pure wingers for this, Gakpo and Memphis are not.
The vivifying Argentina did not concede until the miracle of Weghorst arrived.
Argentina squeezed itself while waiting for its moment.
Or what is the same, to Messi.
Until then, he conspired to handle the contest smoothly.
The PSG man missed a foul by an inch.
Of course, this time he did not go from executioner to victim with a penalty at his feet.
00:45
Like this celebrated Messi the classification
Acuña came like a shot from the left, put on the brake and Dumfries derailed and took him ahead.
Messi was terminal against Noppert.
As Weghorst would be against Dibu Martínez, whom he beat with a header.
Immediately, the game turned tricky, with one brawl after another, including an Argentine ball hit Van Gaal's bench.
With all the staff irritated and Mateu Lahoz in the middle, card goes, card comes (up to 16 yellow cards and one red card for a double warning after 48 fouls), to those on the field and those on the benches.
And ten minutes of extension.
Albiceleste anguish, there already a bugle call from the orange team.
The game had gone into combustion and Van Gaal's icy squad warmed up.
The game was just a blink away from sealing infinite added time when Mateu signaled a free kick on the edge of the area by Martínez.
Two modest happy hour arrived.
Koopmeiners, from Atalanta, with only one year of international, fooled everyone except Van Gaal and Weghorst.
He threw an ingenious free kick, in short, behind the Argentine barrier, where his comrade was.
Weghorst, 30, on loan from relegated Burnley to Besiktas, improvised glory and sent the game into extra time one thousandth before the end.
Argentina wanted to swallow Mateu.
In extra time, the albiceleste fence had no prize.
Lautaro, Enzo —with a shot to the right post by Noppert— and Di María —with a direct corner— had bingo.
Without remedy.
Yes, Martínez had it, sharp on penalties against Van Dijk and Berghuis.
Messi exploded with joy, Argentina burst.
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