Messi, Argentina beat Netherlands on PKs
LUSAIL, QATAR >> It started with Lionel Messi delivering another soccer clinic. It ended with the Argentina superstar sporting a bloodied top lip, shouting abuse to opponents and even blasting the referee.
And of course there were goals, too, for one of the greats of the game whose bid to win the World Cup for the first time is still on track.
Messi is heading to the semifinals with Argentina after a penalty-shootout victory over Netherlands that had just about everything on Friday.
Argentina took a 2-0 lead, conceded an equalizer in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time to send the match to extra time at 2-2, and then won the shootout 4-3 amid a deafening noise inside Lusail Stadium.
Messi, who scored a penalty in regulation time, converted his penalty in the shootout while goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made two saves to help Argentina secure a semifinal match against Croatia, which beat Brazil earlier Friday.
After Lautaro Martinez scored the clinching penalty,
Messi — with his arms outstretched — sprinted to jump into the arms of his goalkeeper.
“We had to suffer,” Messi said. “But we got through.” CROATIA 1(4), BRAZIL 1(2), PENALTIES >> Croatia knocked Brazil out of the World Cup, beating the fivetime champions in a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals.
Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic saved a penalty attempt by Rodrygo and Marquinhos later hit the post.
Neymar had scored late in the first half of extra time to give Brazil the lead, but Croatia equalized when Bruno Petkovic scored in the 117th.
Neymar's goal moved him into a tie with Pelé as Brazil's all-time leading scorer with 77 goals.