In 2014 Argentina and the Netherlands played to a 0-0 semifinal match that was decided on penalty kicks. On that day in Brazil goalkeeper Sergio Romero came up big with two saves that got Argentina to the World Cup finals and sent the Netherlands to the 3rd place match up.
In France 1998 it was a different story as Argentina fell to the Netherlands in a final minute goal by then Arsenal star Dennis Bergkamp to lift the Dutch to a quarterfinals victory over Argentina 2-1. In 1978 Argentina would win their first ever World Cup title defeating the Netherlands 3-1 behind two goals by Mario Kempes.
This will mark the sixth time that the Netherlands and Argentina have faced each other at the World Cup and for Barcelona and Netherlands forward Memphis Depay it’s a sort of payback time.
Memphis Depay on playing Argentina
“I really want to get rid of that bittersweet taste (of 2014), I would like to change it with tomorrow’s game”, Depay stated in the press conference. The goal of the Dutch is to “win the game in 90 minutes.”
Memphis Depay of Netherlands celebrates scoring the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between Netherlands and USA (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Depay continued by stating, “I’ve never seen myself in a situation like this, having to take a penalty in a World Cup shootout. Without a doubt, it’s a time of great tension and pressure, but we are professional players, and we have to know how to deal with that situation”, when asked about the semifinal of 2014.
