A sea of yellows, the encore of tradition, always the bridesmaid but never the bride was the mixed bag of the highly-rated quarter-finals between Argentina and The Netherlands.
Both sides knew the game could not be sewn by sheer skill but by the total collection of the six human senses, hence sought the complement of manpower for the duel. The Spanish referee in a bid to control the game flashed 17 yellow cards as if they were Xmas biscuits, and even the sleek Messi entangled as frustration built up. The football maestro was sighted by the amber as the going got tough and some had no choice but to indulge in roughhouse tactics.
The uncanny sixth sense embedded in the individual players of Argentina exacted quality teamwork by The Netherlands in this wits and brawn. But then, the manner of open play came to a dead end after 120 minutes (extra time inclusive), restoring history. Although Argentina looked stable and composed on the day, yet it gave away a two-nil lead powered by Nahuel Melino and Lionel Messi in the first half.
It was not a matter of sudden brittleness but the Dutch had to dig deeper to unravel the mystery and crumble the tall order they faced. Racing against time, they changed their style of play which saw them give up on possessive soccer to floating aerial balls into the Argentine box. That paid off as an angled header by Wout Weghorst from a difficult position touched the inning of the Argentine net.
The high balls got past the Argentine midfield grit and the Dutch hit side netting shortly afterward, a miss only the gods are fit to explain. Then came the moment of moments that set up the final equalizer. The hard-to-break Argentine backline was tricked into the templated shield behind free kicks, thus as defenders jumped high in anticipation of a wild kick, the Dutch have learned a lesson from a previous miss, released a feeble shot beneath the shield to an anticipating striker who finished off with a classic touch. It was a brace. Not even the vigilant Argentine goalie, Emiliano Martinez could see what was happening in the dazing action. 2-2 it became in the 11th minute of the 10-minute additional time, in the marginal decisions that also located Argentina with a penalty converted by Messi.
Tradition never dies. Argentina’s opponents have obviously studied their match history. In the grand finals against West Germany, in 1986, Argentina raced to a 2-0 first-half lead. In the second half, Germany equalized all. Then a pass from Maradona to Buruchaga gave Argentina the winner.
In this one, the Argentine goalkeeper rose to the man-of-the-moment status blocking the first two penalty kicks which gave the two-time champions the lead in the shootout, despite one miskick by themselves.
Over time, Argentina has had its leads erased and the same tradition is unfolding in Qatar. Argentina had given away a lead against unfancied Saudi Arabia in the group phase and after securing a comfortable 2-0 lead in the round of 16, they conceded to Australia in the dying minutes.
In Italia 1990, Germany won the world cup in the final against Argentina. That one too a last-minute penalty against Argentina downed them.
A quarter-final clash between Argentina and Netherlands in 1998, also saw a last-minute Dutch goal ousting Argentina. In all such replicas, the technically gifted Europeans knew exactly what to do to unlock Argentina. Intelligence spurs advancement but concentration retains the lead. Very important.
In the renewed rivalry between the two, Argentina clearly came across with a strategy to obstruct the Dutch from getting into scoring positions, the hindsight experience inspiring vengeance. Thus, the players swarmed every action spot to deny the Dutch unmanned space that allowed Dennis Bergkamp to issue the coup de grace in 1998.
Whether Argentina shoots itself in the foot or is gripped by some ill luck that allows opponents to claw back, Argentina itself looks like a side that is undaunted by initial setbacks. As the tournament’s defending champions in 1990, it was miraculously defeated by the then-unknown quantity Cameroon in the opening match but traveled all the way to the grand finals where a certain German momentum sweltered against defensive-minded Argentina. It was a defense woven around Pedro Monzon and an attack led by Diego Maradona which conceded an eleventh-hour penalty to Germany.
The result leaves The Netherlands probably scratching their heads as to when they may exorcise the ghost of having nothing at the end of racing, in what is apt for description as the tantalizing mirage before the Dutch at world cups. Bridesmaids indeed, for they display the stuff of champions but never kiss the trophy. Perennial under-achievers
Lionel Messi’s world cup dream is still alive.
