Lionel Messi said helium felt "disrespected" by Netherlands manager Louis van Gaal and blasted the referee aft Argentina bushed the Dutch 4-3 connected penalties successful a thrilling World Cup quarterfinal astatine Lusail Iconic Stadium successful Qatar connected Friday.
Messi assisted Argentina's archetypal extremity for Nahuel Molina and past scored a 2nd from the punishment spot arsenic Argentina took a seemingly commanding 2-0 pb successful the 73rd minute.
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But 2 precocious goals from Dutch substitute Wout Weghorst, the 2nd disconnected the backmost of a escaped footwear successful the 11th infinitesimal of stoppage time, sent the lucifer to other clip and yet a punishment shootout.
The contest, though, got progressively heated. At 1 constituent Leandro Paredes blasted the shot successful the absorption of the Netherlands seat earlier Dutch skipper Virgil van Dijk responded by knocking Paredes to the ground.
After his goal, Messi directed a solemnisation toward the Dutch coaching unit and past confronted Van Gaal aft the match.
"I consciousness disrespected by Van Gaal aft his pregame comments and immoderate Dutch players spoke excessively overmuch during the game," Messi told reporters.
Van Gaal had suggested up of the quarterfinal that Messi did small to assistance his squad erstwhile they don't person the ball.
"Van Gaal sells that helium plays bully shot and past helium puts forwards successful the container and starts throwing agelong balls," Messi said of Van Gaal's tactics. "We deserved to spell done and that's what happened."
Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was the leader for Argentina successful the shootout by redeeming the Netherlands' archetypal 2 efforts from Van Dijk and Steven Berghuis, likewise had beardown words for Van Gaal.
"I heard Van Gaal saying 'we've got an vantage connected penalties, if we spell to penalties we win,'" Martinez said. "I deliberation helium needs to support his rima shut."
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Both players were besides fiercely captious of the show from Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz.
"I don't privation to speech astir the referee due to the fact that you can't beryllium honest," Messi told Argentine TV.
"If you speech they authorisation you; FIFA indispensable deliberation astir it, they can't enactment a referee who isn't up to the task for these instances."
Added Martinez: "I thought we controlled the crippled truly well. We went 2-0 up but the ref started to springiness everything to them.
"All of a abrupt a bully header for them and each turned upside down. The ref added 10 minutes for nary reason.
"He gave escaped kicks extracurricular the container for them two, 3 times. He conscionable wanted them to score, that's fundamentally it, truthful hopefully we don't person that ref anymore. He's useless."
Argentina's triumph puts them done to their 5th World Cup semifinal and 2nd successful the past 3 tournaments, wherever they volition instrumentality connected Brazil's conquerors Croatia.
"We didn't expect to spell to other time, fto unsocial to penalties," Messi said. "We suffered, but we are playing a World Cup quarterfinal.
"Argentina shows crippled by crippled that we cognize however to play. We came retired with strength and tendency and we understood the moments of the game.
"We needed this and we are blessed the full state is celebrating now. [Martinez] erstwhile again showed that he's the champion redeeming penalties.
"Croatia is simply a large team. They determination the shot precise well, they person been moving unneurotic for a agelong time, it volition beryllium precise hard."
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