Lionel Messi's World Cup dream lives on after Argentina edged out the Netherlands on penalties after a hugely dramatic quarter-final at Lusail Stadium.
Messi looked to have inspired Argentina into a last-four meeting with Brazil's conquerors Croatia when he set up Nahuel Molina's opener 10 minutes before the break and then added the second from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute after Denzel Dumfries fouled Marcos Acuna.
Louis van Gaal, in his final game as Dutch coach, went for broke and it paid off as substitute Wout Weghorst led a sensational comeback by scoring twice, the second following an audacious free-kick routine 11 minutes into stoppage time.
A game of many flashpoints and more than a dozen yellow cards went to penalties, during which Aston Villa's Argentina keeper Emi Martinez emerged as the hero, saving from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis.
Messi scored his penalty and even though pressure mounted on Argentina when Enzo Fernandez dragged his spot-kick wide, Lautaro Martinez made the decisive contribution to spark wild scenes of celebration.
Argentina celebrate after scare
The ecstasy in the vast stands at Lusail Stadium and among Argentina's players carried extra joy because they knew how close they came to throwing away a position of comfort in this thunderous World Cup quarter-final.
Argentina were cruising with a two-goal lead in the final 10 minutes but even the hordes of blue and white clad fans were silenced momentarily as their team, seemingly gripped by desperation as the Netherlands utilised the giant duo of Weghorst and Luuk de Jong, conceded those two late goals.
It needed Emi Martinez's rescue act in the penalty shootout, although it was Argentina making all the running and the Dutch hanging on in the extra period, with Enzo Martinez hitting the post with virtually the last kick of the added period.
Argentina held their nerve to win the shootout and will now meet Croatia in the semi-finals after they also won on penalties against Brazil, a result which added another layer to the celebrations as they not only saw a historic rival go out, but also one of the main threats to their hopes of winning the World Cup.
This was a close-run thing for Argentina but they now stand only one game away from reaching the World Cup final, having falling victim to one of the biggest shocks of the tournament when they lost their opening game to Saudi Arabia.
Van Gaal's sad ending
Louis van Gaal disguised what was surely bitter disappointment in his final game as Netherlands coach as he clasped opposite number Lionel Scaloni in a warm embrace at the conclusion of a sometimes chaotic quarter-final.
Van Gaal must have been dreaming of another World Cup semi-final to follow 2014, which he lost on penalties to Argentina, when the Netherlands drew level in the closing seconds of that lengthy period of added time.
And what an equaliser it was, a superb free-kick routine which fooled Argentina completely as they waited for Tein Koopmeiners to shoot, only for him to slip a perfect pass into the waiting Weghorst to score.
Van Gaal can leave his post with his head held high, as can his team, after they showed resilience and character to overcome Argentina's supremacy, only to lose out on the lottery of penalties.
Time will tell whether 71-year-old Van Gaal, an occasionally divisive but always a charismatic and entertaining figure, will resurface elsewhere but his finale as Dutch coach was a case of so near and yet so far again in a World Cup.
Player of the match
WeghorstWout Weghorst
Line-ups
Netherlands
Formation 3-4-1-2
23Noppert
2Timber4van Dijk5Aké
22Dumfries15de Roon21F de Jong17Blind
8Gakpo
7Bergwijn10Depay
23Noppert2TimberBooked at 43mins4van Dijk5Aké22DumfriesBooked at 128mins15de RoonSubstituted forKoopmeinersat 45'minutes21F de Jong17BlindSubstituted forL de Jongat 64'minutes8GakpoSubstituted forLangat 113'minutesBooked at 128mins7BergwijnBooked at 90minsSubstituted forBerghuisat 45'minutesBooked at 88mins10DepayBooked at 76minsSubstituted forWeghorstat 78'minutesBooked at 45minsSubstitutes
1Pasveer3de Ligt6de Vrij9L de Jong11Berghuis12Lang13Bijlow14Klaassen16Malacia18Janssen19Weghorst20Koopmeiners24Taylor25Simons26FrimpongArgentina
Formation 5-3-2
23E Martínez
26Molina13Romero19Otamendi25Li Martínez8Acuña
7De Paul24Fernández20Mac Allister
10Messi9Álvarez
23E Martínez26MolinaSubstituted forMontielat 105'minutesBooked at 109mins13RomeroBooked at 45minsSubstituted forPezzellaat 78'minutesBooked at 112mins19OtamendiBooked at 90mins25Li MartínezBooked at 76minsSubstituted forDi Maríaat 112'minutes8AcuñaBooked at 43minsSubstituted forTagliaficoat 78'minutes7De PaulSubstituted forParedesat 66'minutesBooked at 89mins24Fernández20Mac Allister10MessiBooked at 90mins9ÁlvarezSubstituted forLa Martínezat 82'minutesSubstitutes
1Armani2Foyth3Tagliafico4Montiel5Paredes6Pezzella11Di María12Rulli14Palacios15Correa16Almada17Gómez18Rodríguez21Dybala22La MartínezReferee:Antonio Miguel Mateu LahozAttendance:88,235Live Text
Match ends, Netherlands 2(3), Argentina 2(4).
Second yellow card to Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands).
Noa Lang (Netherlands) is shown the yellow card.
Penalty Shootout ends, Netherlands 2(3), Argentina 2(4).
Goal! Netherlands 2(3), Argentina 2(4). Lautaro Martínez (Argentina) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands) is shown the yellow card.
Goal! Netherlands 2(3), Argentina 2(3). Luuk de Jong (Netherlands) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the centre of the goal.
Penalty missed! Bad penalty by Enzo Fernández (Argentina) right footed shot is close, but misses to the left. Enzo Fernández should be disappointed.
Goal! Netherlands 2(2), Argentina 2(3). Wout Weghorst (Netherlands) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Goal! Netherlands 2(1), Argentina 2(3). Gonzalo Montiel (Argentina) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Goal! Netherlands 2(1), Argentina 2(2). Teun Koopmeiners (Netherlands) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Goal! Netherlands 2, Argentina 2(2). Leandro Paredes (Argentina) converts the penalty with a right footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty saved! Steven Berghuis (Netherlands) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, left footed shot saved in the bottom right corner.
Goal! Netherlands 2, Argentina 2(1). Lionel Messi (Argentina) converts the penalty with a left footed shot to the bottom left corner.
Penalty saved! Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands) fails to capitalise on this great opportunity, right footed shot saved in the bottom left corner.
Penalty Shootout begins Netherlands 2, Argentina 2.
Second Half Extra Time ends, Netherlands 2, Argentina 2.
Enzo Fernández (Argentina) hits the left post with a right footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by Lionel Messi following a corner.
Corner, Argentina. Conceded by Andries Noppert.
Corner, Argentina. Conceded by Noa Lang.
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