Durban – Argentina needed a dramatic penalty shootout to beat the Netherlands and book their place in the semi-finals of the 2022 Fifa World Cup against Croatia.
IOL Sports football writer Smiso Msomi looks at five takeaways from the ill-tempered clash between the two football giants.
Messi in the spotlight, once again
Argentina captain Lionel Messi's influence on this side has been massive at this tournament as his drive and passion have propelled them to the semi-finals.
Messi led from the front, not only with commitment but with flashes of brilliance in every single game, and he has been their most deadly weapon.
The 35-year-old football icon turned on the style once more when his side needed him most providing a classy assist before slotting a second penalty himself to put his side two goals up.
Messi now has four goals and two assists in this edition of the World Cup and has smashed the record for the most chances created since the inception of the tournament, a record Diego Maradona had held for decades.
Tactical adjustment rewards Scaloni
Argentina's head coach has made a courageous call ahead of their meeting with the Netherlands, readjusting his usual 4-3-3 formation to a 5-3-2 to match that of their opponents.
Scaloni's intention was to be able to derail the advances of wing back Denzel Dumfries, who has been immense for the Netherlands in the tournament.
It is only when Louis Van Gaal's men made alterations and began to play more directly that they began to look more dangerous, a huge compliment to Scaloni's pre-empted plans.
Super-sub Weghorst the nearly man
One of the few bright-spark moments for the Netherlands was the heroics of “super-sub” Wout Weghorst who dragged his side back into the game with a brace when they looked dead and buried at 2-0 down.
The Burnley big man found his scoring boots at just the right time for the 2010 World Cup finalists, scoring twice on his fourth appearance at this year's World Cup.
Emi Martinez answers the call once more
Argentinian football fans were in ecstasy as they got flashbacks of their nation's 2021 Copa America final where goalkeeper Emi Martinez was also the hero in a penalty shootout.
The Aston Villa shot-stopper has been in fine form for Argentina and continued his impressive showing as he saved the two opening penalties from the Dutch, immediately putting them under pressure.
A worrying habit of complacency
In a tournament of this stature, it is the finer details that determine whether one becomes world champions or not, and for Argentina, their complacency, whenever they seem to be strolling, might prove to be an Achilles heel in the future.
The South Americans were shocked by Saudi Arabia in the opening match after taking a first-half lead; they were also tested against Australia but survived a late onslaught, and it almost caught up with them once more against the Dutch.