Romero saves Argentina
Keeper makes 2 stops on penalty kicks
SAO PAULO — Lionel Messi finally got what he wanted: The best player in theworld is going to play in his sport’s biggest game.
And this time he owes that more to his teammates than his own individual brilliance after Argentina won a penalty-kick shootout with the Netherlands to advance to Sunday’s World Cup final against Germany in Rio de Janeiro.
The Dutch, who won their quarterfinal against Costa Rica on penalty kicks, will meet Brazil on Saturday in Brasilia in the third-place game.
After playing to a scoreless draw in 120 minutes, the Argentines came alive in the shootout, winning 4-2 with Messi getting things started. Ezequiel Garay, Sergio Aguero and Maxi Rodriguez followed, all making their shots against keeper Jasper Cillessen.
Against Costa Rica, Cillessen was replaced by backup Tim Krul just ahead of the penalty kicks, and Krul made two saves. But Cillessen was forced to stay in this time after the Dutch used their three substitutions for field players.
Argentina’s unsung keeper, Sergio Romero, came up huge with saves against Ron Vlaar on the first penalty kick andWesley Sneijder on the third.
The Netherlands was seeking a return to the final, where it lost to Spain in extra time four years ago in South Africa. Nobody on Argentina’s roster was out of grade school the last time it played for theWorld Cup title in 1990. And Messi hadn’t even been born when Diego Maradona led Argentina to its last championship in 1986.
Neither team attacked as if it wanted to win. Both were tentative in the deadeven first half, probing for weaknesses like two heavyweights in the early rounds of a title fight.
Argentina was hurt by the loss of injured midfielder Angel Di Maria, the spark thatmakes its offense go. That allowed the Dutch to collapse around Messi, making him a nonfactor for long stretches.
Still, Argentina nearly won in the second half of extra time when Rodrigo Palacio got behind the defense, took a chip pass and tried to head it home. But Cillessen snatched his shot out of the air.
Seconds later a Messi cross was volleyed into the ground by Rodriguez, but Cillessen playedit nicelyon the hop.
The first good scoring chance came in the 14th minute on a left-footed free kick by Messi from just outside the 18-yard box. The low shot made it through the wall toward the far post, but it didn’t fool Cillessen, who pulled the ball to his chest as he fell to the turf.
About 10 minutes later Garay, moving forward from defense, mishit a diving header, knocking it over the crossbar while taking a boot to the face for his troubles.
The two best Dutch tries of the first half — on a corner and an attempted header by defender Stefan de Vrij — came seconds apart late in the half, and Romero punched both away.
Yet despite the presence of forwards Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben — both of whom have multiple goals in theWorld Cup — and Sneijder, a midfielder who helped the Netherlands put up aWorld Cuphigh 10 goals in group play, the Dutch seemed content to cautiously dropnumbers behind the ball most of the night.
The pace picked up only slightly in the second half, whena steady rain began to fall and the wind chill dipped.
Gonzalo Higuain came within inches of giving Argentina the lead in the 75th minute, sliding into the 6-yard box and deflecting a cross with a raised foot. But the ball found only the side of the net.
Robben had the most dangerous Dutch shot, dribbling deep into the area as the final seconds of regulation ticked off. But as he turned to shoot, a sliding tackle by Javier Mascherano knocked the ball away.