Argentina vs Netherlands final score, result: Messi-inspired Albiceleste into World Cup semifinal on penalties

David Lynch

•

Dominic Booth

•
Argentina vs Netherlands final score, result: Messi-inspired Albiceleste into World Cup semifinal on penalties image

A Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina saw off a spirited Netherlands fightback to book their place in the semifinals of the 2022 World Cup after a thrilling contest in Lusail.

The Albiceleste looked home and hosed late in the second half after their talismanic No.10 dispatched a penalty to follow up a barely believable assist for Nahuel Molina in the opening 45 minutes.

But the course of the game changed when substitute Wout Weghorst entered the action for the Dutch and soon headed home what initially appeared to be little more than a consolation goal.

Argentina simply could not handle the former Burnley striker's physicality, and he sent the game to extra time by poking a finish home in the final minute of time added on after a genius free-kick routine. 

However, that ultimately only delayed the Netherlands' misery, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez producing more penalty heroics to save twice and send Argentina into the last four.

They will now face Croatia there rather than old rivals Brazil, after Zlatko Dalic's side produced yet another shock in the day's earlier game to also go through via a shootout.

MORE: When is Argentina vs Croatia in World Cup semifinals?

Argentina vs Netherlands result

  1H 2H ET Final
Argentina 1 1 0 2 (4)
Netherlands 0 2 0 2 (3)

ARGENTINA WIN 4-3 ON PENALTIES

Goals:
ARG — Molina (35 mins)

ARG — Messi (73 mins)

NED — Weghorst (83 mins)

NED — Weghorst (90 +11 mins)

Lineups:

Argentina (3-5-2, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 13. Romero, 19. Otamendi, 25. L. Martinez — 26. Molina, 20. Mac Allister, 7. De Paul, 24. E. Fernandez, 8. Acuna — 9. Alvarez, 10. Messi

Netherlands (3-4-1-2, right to left): 23. Noppert (GK) — 2. Timber, 4. Van Dijk, 5. Ake — 22. Dumfries, 15. De Roon, 21. De Jong, 17. Blind — 10. Gakpo — 7. Bergwijn, 10. Depay

MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)

Argentina vs Netherlands as it happened, highlights from 2022 World Cup

10th penalty: Lautaro Martinez to take... SCORES! ARGENTINA WIN IT!!! 4-3

Watch in the US

Watch in the UK

9th penalty: Luuk De Jong to take... SCORES! Rolled into the net. Netherlands 3-3 Argentina

8th penalty: Enzo Fernandez to take... MISSES! A long way wide of the goal! Netherlands 2-3 Argentina

7th penalty: Wout Weghorst to take... SCORES! Netherlands 2-3 Argentina

6th penalty: Gonzalo Montiel to take... SCORES! Netherlands 1-3 Argentina

5th penalty: Teun Koopmeiners to take... SCORES! A brilliantly calm spot kick. Netherlands 1-2 Argentina

4th penalty: Leandro Paredes to take... SCORES! Power penalty. Netherlands 0-2 Argentina

3rd penalty: Steven Berghuis to take... SAVED! Martinez incredible. Netherlands 0-1 Argentina

2nd penalty: Lionel Messi to take... SCORES! Calm as you like. Netherlands 0-1 Argentina

1st penalty: Virgil Van Dijk to take... SAVED! Netherlands 0-0 Argentina

FULLTIME: All over and we are heading to penalties!

120th min: OFF THE POST!

Enzo Fernandez hits one brilliantly from the edge of the area but, while the keeper is beaten, the upright is not, and the ball flies back out to safety. So unlucky.

115th min: Chance! Lautaro Martinez runs onto a pullback and smashes it goalward but Virgil van Dijk gets his body in front. 

Argentina really pushing now but do they have the time to make it count?

111th min: Lisandro Martinez makes way for Angel Di Maria — how he'd love to break Louis van Gaal's heart with a winner here given their history at Manchester United.

110th min: Messi works a yard at the edge of the box but his effort flies high and wide of the goal.

You don't get a lot of goals in extra time generally and we're still waiting here.

106th min: Back at it. Nobody will want to slip up now!

HALFTIME: No more goals in the first period of extra time. Will we see a moment of inspiration, a mistake, or penalties decide this one?

104rd min: Messi dinks a free-kick to the far post but Nicolas Otamendi can't reach it on the stretch and the ball bounces harmlessly out of play.

96th min: Argentina couldn't get out of their own box in the final 15 minutes of normal time but now they're dominating possession once again and controlling things.

Why have the Dutch stopped going long when they were getting such joy from it?

91st min: We're back underway. Here's a quick reminder of how we got here:

Watch in the US

Watch in the UK

FULLTIME: On we go to extra time! What a finish to the game.

90th min+11: GOAL! They've done it!!!!

Steven Berghuis faints to hit the free-kick and simply rolls it in to Wout Weghorst, who turns and gets away a left-footed strike that dribbles into the back of the net. 

Can you believe it?

90th min+9: Wout Weghorst gets a shove in the back from Nicolas Otamendi and that is a dangerous free-kick to give away in the final seconds of the match...

90th min+5: What a defensive header from Nicolas Otamendi. The Netherlands are throwing the ball into the box ceaselessly at this point but the Argentines standing up to the examination.

90th min: Ten minutes of added time — wow! So much time for the Dutch to get an equaliser here.

89th min: It's all kicking off!

Leandro Paredes nearly cuts Ake in half with a late challenge and then needlessly smashes the ball into the Dutch bench.

He gets a yellow for his trouble and there's a lot of pushing and shoving in the aftermath.

87th min: The Netherlands knocking it around and probing now but have they left it too late? 

83rd min: GOAL! The Dutch are back in it!

Finally they put a quality delivery into the box and Wout Weghorst is there to nod it beyond Emiliano Martinez's despairing dive and tee up a fascinating finish.

Watch in the US

Watch in the UK

78th min: Marcos Acuna and Cristian Romero off for Argentina, who bring on Nicolas Tagliafico and German Pezzella in their place.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, turn to Wout Weghorst in place of Memphis Depay.

73rd min: GOAL! No mistake from Messi, who takes one step and smashes the ball beyond a rooted Andries Noppert to make it 2-0.

72nd min: PENALTY TO ARGENTINA!

Watch in the US

Watch in the UK

Denzel Dumfries trips Marcos Acuna after he cuts inside in the box and the referee doesn't hesitate to point to the spot.

67th min: Rodrigo De Paul was a doubt for this game and so it's little surprise to see him make way for Paredes. A good shift.

Meanwhile, the Dutch appear to have switched to a back four as they look to get more players up the pitch to actually threaten Argentina.

63rd min: Messi lines up a free-kick 25 yards out...... Wow, that is close. 

The net rippled but, unfortunately for the Argentina fans, it's the wrong side of the top of it. A brilliant, powerful, dipping effort.

61st min: The Netherlands' halftime substitutions haven't changed a thing for them if the first 15 minutes of this half are anything to go by.

Louis van Gaal needs to find inspiration from somewhere or he and his countrymen are on their way home. 

55th min: Messi commits a deliberate handball in sheer frustration as Nathan Ake just about manages to clear a dangerous bouncing ball but he somehow gets away without a booking.

Is that a reflection of his status in the game or a fair decision?

51st min: Rodrigo De Paul overhits a ball in behind for Messi and that is a real wasted opportunity given the Dutch backline was clearly caught flat-footed.

Argentina's No.10 might have caught up to that five years ago but not now.

46th min: Argentina get the game restarted. Will those Netherlands subs change the flow of the game?

HALFTIME: Two changes for the Dutch before the restart, with Steven Bergwijn and Marten De Roon making way for Steven Berghuis and Teun Koopmeiners.

HALFTIME: A crazy angle of the Messi assist for you to enjoy at halftime.

HALFTIME: The whistle sounds at Lusail Stadium and Argentina have a slender lead thanks to Nahuel Molina's goal.

Louis van Gaal's men haven't really got going - can he come up with a tactical plan to change things in the second half?

45th min+2: Wout Weghorst now picks up a yellow card on the Dutch bench for a poor choice of words when speaking to the officials.

This is quite a feisty affair and there is real potential for further cards, including a game-changing red.

44th min: Two bookings handed out in quick succession.

The first goes to Marcos Acuna for a poor challenge that sees him rake his studs down Denzel Dumfries' Achilles tendon and the second to Timber for his reaction to the tackle. 

Acuna will now miss the semifinal as a result of that caution.

40th min: Messi twists and turns in the Netherlands box before unleashing a right-footed shot but it is not his most powerful and Andries Noppert collects easily.

35th min: GOAL!!! Argentina take the lead through Nahuel Molina but this goal has Messi's fingerprints all over it.

The diminutive No.10 produces a beautifully disguised ball in behind a massed Dutch backline for his right-back, who does well to collect the pass and drag it in front of him before poking past an onrushing Andries Noppert.

Lusail Stadium absolutely erupts.

Watch in the UK

Watch in the US

33rd min: Argentina put together one of the more promising passages of play seen so far and get Rodrigo De Paul into space at the edge of the box for a shot.

It's easily saved but Lionel Scaloni will be encouraged by that.

24th min: Steven Bergwijn drags a left-footed shot wide after a quick exchange of passes with Memphis Depay.

That's as close as the Netherlands have come so far and was perhaps a better chance than it looked in the end.

18th min: Emiliano Martinez into action for the first time as he collects an overhit ball in behind that Steven Bergwijn was being asked to chase. 

13th min: As cagey as you'd expect in these opening stages, with Argentina having enjoyed the majority of the possession.

The Netherlands trying to keep as many players as possible close to Messi, blocking him from receiving the ball or building up a head of steam when he gets it.

5th min: Argentina fans vastly outnumbering their Dutch counterparts in the stadium — this is like a home game for Messi and Co. 

1st min: The Netherlands get us under way through Memphis Depay.

5 mins from kickoff: The players heading out onto the pitch now — will it be Argentina or the Netherlands who join Croatia in the semifinals?

25 mins from kickoff: The Netherlands could do with this man shining tonight.

45 mins from kickoff: Well, a change of shape from Lionel Scaloni as he looks to match the Netherlands up.

You wonder how much that has been motivated by questions over Angel Di Maria's fitness, though it could of course be a purely tactical choice.

1 hr from kickoff: And here is how Argentina line up...

1 hr 5 mins from kickoff: The Dutch team is in!

1 hr 10 mins from kickoff: WOW! Croatia win it 4-2 on penalties and Brazil are out of the World Cup!

The Netherlands and Argentina now know they won't have to face the tournament favourites to get to the final in Qatar. What an opportunity. 

1 hr 20 mins from kickoff: Incredible stuff in the other semifinal as Croatia grab a late equaliser in extra-time to take the game to penalties.

Brazil had made all the running, but can they recover from the blow of giving up the win so late to come out on top in the shootout?

1 hr 45 mins from kickoff: Scenes!

2 hrs 10 mins from kickoff: Brazil vs Croatia is now heading to extra time and, to be honest, we should have seen it coming.

That's eight out of Croatia's last nine knockout-stage games at major tournaments that have needed an added period of time to settle them. Brazil will be desperate to stop this going to the lottery of penalties now.

2 hrs 40 mins from kickoff: An hour gone in Brazil vs Croatia and the game remains goalless. 

Argentina and the Netherlands no closer to knowing who they might face in the semi-finals in Qatar, should they progress.

3 hrs 20 mins from kickoff: Some absolutely iconic clashes between these two nations featured here - let's hope for another one today.

3 hrs 50 mins from kickoff: Things are under way in today's other World Cup semi-final tie, which sees Brazil take on Croatia.

A meeting with one of these teams is what Argentina and the Netherlands are playing for and we'll keep you up to date with the score from that one. 

4 hrs 15 mins from kickoff: It's worth looking at the odds for this tie. The sports bookmakers really cannot call it. Argentina come in with the very slight upper hand but you'd be foolish to rule out Van Gaal and this disciplined and slick Dutch side. Here's how the odds translate across various companies and countries:

  BetMGM Sports
Interaction		 SkyBet Ladbrokes
Netherlands win +240 3.40 5/2 5/2
Draw +210 3.10 11/5 21/10
Argentina win +125 2.16 23/20 6/5
Both teams
to score Y / N		 +105 / -145 1.95 / 1.67 1/1, 8/11 1/1, 3/4
Over / Under
2.5 goals		 +135 / -190 2.31 / 1.55 11/8, 8/15 27/20, 8/15
Argentina -0.5 -150 2.13 — —
Netherlands +0.5 +105 1.66 — —
Argentina advance -165 1.58 8/15 4/7
Netherlands advance +125 2.25 11/8 5/4

4 hrs 30 mins from kickoff: You've got to hand it to AD SportWereld with the "Last Tango" cover featuring Lionel Messi and Louis Van Gaal.

4 hrs 45 mins from kickoff: The last time these two teams met was the 2014 World Cup semifinal. Argentina came ahead there as well on penalty kicks. Here was the clincher:

5 hrs from kickoff: These two teams faced off in a World Cup final back in 1978 when Argentina hosted the World Cup. The Netherlands where a post away from winning it late. The Dutch have never won a World Cup.

5 hrs from kickoff: Slight tweak in the uniforms for this match:

Argentina vs Netherlands live stream, TV channel

This quarterfinal clash will be played at Lusail Stadium, site of the World Cup final, but also where Argentina lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in one of the biggest World Cup upsets in history.

Here's how you can watch all the action in some of the major global territories.

  Date Time TV Channel Streaming
USA Fri, Dec. 9 14:00 ET Fox,
Telemundo		 fuboTV,
Fox Sports site/app,
Telemundo Deportes site/app,
Peacock
Canada Fri, Dec. 9 14:00 ET TSN 1, RDS (French) TSN site/app,
RDS app
UK Fri, Dec. 9 19:00 GMT BBC One BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website
Australia Sat, Dec. 10 06:00 AEDT SBS SBS On Demand
India Sat, Dec. 10 00:30 IST Sports 18 Voot, JioTV
Hong Kong Sat, Dec. 10 03:00 HKT Now TV (Ch. 616, 618) Now TV
Malaysia Sat, Dec. 10 03:00 MYT Astro FIFA World Cup 1 Astro GO
Singapore Sat, Dec. 10 03:00 SGT StarHub TV FIFA World Cup, Singtel FIFA World Cup 141 Singtel TV GO, CAST,
StarHub TV+, MeWatch
New Zealand Sat, Dec. 10 08:00 NZDT Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW

David Lynch

David Lynch Photo

David Lynch is a freelance football journalist primarily covering Liverpool FC. He has reported on the the Reds for over a decade for publications such as the Sunday Mirror and Evening Standard, carving out a reputation as a trusted voice on all things Anfield in the process. Having followed Liverpool across England and Europe over the course of his career, David has filed from illustrious venues such as Camp Nou, the Allianz Arena and the Estadio do Dragao, as well as from multiple Champions League finals.

Dominic Booth

Dominic Booth Photo

Dominic joined the Sporting News in November 2022, initially working on our World Cup coverage as a freelance sub editor. He was previously a sport content editor and Man United writer at the Manchester Evening News and is a regular at both Old Traffords, football and cricket.