MESSI AND CO. SET FOR BATTLE
ARGENTINA TO FACE GERMANY FOR CUP
SAO PAULO — The golden gates of football’s Olympus may yet swing open Sunday to admit Lionel Messi.
On a cool, wet, night long on discipline and distressingly short on artistry — an anti-Messi evening if there ever was one — the planet’s greatest player reached his first World Cup final, and Argentina’s first in 24 long years, 4-2 on penalties following a dire, defensive 0-0 draw through 120 bob-and-weave minutes against the Netherlands.
While this could still wind up being Messi’s tournament (although it’s doubtful German boss Joachim Low lost any sleep watching the dire goings-on at Arena Sao Paulo) Wednesday night belonged to others, to mere mortals.
It belonged to Argentine ’keeper Sergio Romero, who sent the thousands of La Albiceleste supporters here into rapture, pounding the crest on his chest and baying at the sky after he thwarted defender Ron Vlaar on the first penalty and dove smartly to his right to palm away Wesley Sneijder’s third, providing the difference.
“Penalty kicks are a question of luck, truth be told,’’ Romero said after the match. “I had faith in myself and thank God everything came out OK. This is to be enjoyed. I am happy for everything.
“Our hopes have been intact since the first day on the pitch. This team has not given away anything.’’
A share of the triumph also belonged to Javier Mascherano, controlling the middle of the park with typical aplomb despite being rocked after cracking heads with Georginio Wijnaldum in the first half. Mascherano shouldn’t even have been allowed to continue, stumbling before falling in the aftermath of the collision, but he rallied himself and his team with an impassioned speech between the two 15-minute extra periods.
And so the Argentines move on to face Germany, unforgiving in dismantling host Brazil 7-1 in Tuesday’s first semi, for the title Sunday at Maracana. The countries contested both the 1986 and 1990 finals.
The penalty shootout provided the only drama of an otherwise dour affair.
With the Netherlands’ three substitutions used up through regulation and extra time, Dutch quarter-final penalty hero Tim Krul could only lock arms with his teammates and look on as the Argentines went four-for-four against starting (and on this occasion finishing) ’keeper Jasper Cillessen.
“If I had the opportunity to substitute Jasper, I would’ve done it. But I’d already used three substitutes, so I couldn’t,’’ said Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal. “I substituted (Daryl) Janmaat because (Bruno) Martins Indi already had a yellow card. I didn’t want to take a risk with (Nigel) De Jong because he would be injured and I substituted (Robin) van Persie because he was exhausted.”
Cillessen actually got a hand on Maxi Rodriguez’s deciding spot kick, but the ball shot up into the top of the net anyway, sending the Argentines through.
Penalties are, of course, the cruelest way to go.
“In the end,’’ despaired Vlaar, “you stand here with your hands empty. It hurts so much. Our dream has burst.’’
“It is the most terrible way to lose,’’ echoed Van Gaal, who now moves to Manchester to begin his high-profile adventure with United. “It’s simply a matter of luck. We did not lose today. We’ve played a fantastic tournament. No one expected us to make it out of the group stage, but we won it.”
“We defeated Mexico and Costa Rica. And at the very least we were equal to Argentina. If not better.’’
The pre-match headliners — Messi and Dutch maestro Arjen Robben — were unable to generate any fizz whatsoever.
Messi kept running face first into the forbidding Oranje brick wall. For all his juking and jiving, Robben could conjure nothing decisive for the Netherlands.
And so the two nations marched grimly on, both refusing to back down or budge an inch.
During extra time, the Argentines actually generated a couple quality chances, a rare thing in this match. Rodrigo Palacio really should’ve hammered the nail in the Netherlands’ coffin in the 115th minute, but instead of attacking the ball, he weakly popped a header on net that never troubled Cillessen.
Shortly after, Messi went on his only trademark run, cutting past Ezequiel Garay and delicately chipping back only to watch Rodriguez limply bounce a volley into the arms of the goalkeeper.
Through 90 claustrophobic minutes each team created one half-chance. One.
A lovely searching ball from Enzo Perez was side-footed off the side-netting by Gonzalo Higuain for Argentina. Mascherano went full stretch to get a toe on a dangerous chance from Robben, who had danced through defenders after accepting a clever Dirk Kuyt pass. Other than that ... Not that you’ll hear the masses of delirious Argentina fans — or the wee man standing expectantly at the massive gates of football’s Olympus — complaining.