Argentina gained a 4-2 penalty victory over the Netherlands to book their passage into the world cup finals on the soil of archenemies Brazil, setting up a repeat of the final of the 1990 world cup.
A tight 120 minutes of football, often dour and uninspiring, meant for their second consecutive game the Dutch needed penalties to settle their tie. Unlike against Costa Rica, though, there was no Tim Krul to pull of heroics, rather it was Argentina goalie Sergio Romero stealing all the headlines with two penalty saves.
The two world cup heavyweights locked horns in a tight cagey game, Argentina carrying the South American mantle after Brazil’s humiliation at the hands of Germany in the first semi final.
There was little to differentiate the two sides in the first, neither side able to settle on the ball for a long period. Both midfields remained particularly tight, giving nothing away.
Argentina threatened first, a swung in free kick falling to Perez, but his effort was wayward. The game remained cagey, the first real chance falling to Leo Messi a few minutes later.
Enzo Perez was keeping himself busy in the middle, and in the 15th minute he won a free kick off Ron Vlaar. Messi stepped up to the plate, but his effort sailed straight into the hands of Dutch goalie Cillessen.
Garay had an even better one in the 24th minute, a corner finding its way to him in a great position, yet he turned his header wide under pressure from Vlaar.
The Netherlands also did very little, Van Persie getting their only real chance which he spurned. A Rojo cross to an unmarked Higuain in injury time looked dangerous, but the ball was too long and an extremely forgettable half of football was brought to a close.