Argentina defeated the Netherlands on penalties in a tense Quarter-Final, keeping Messi's dream of lifting the World Cup alive. The South Americans will not face Brazil as expected because Croatia eliminated the competition favorites on penalties following a 1-1 draw, and the two countries will meet again at the World Cup on December 13th at 19:00 GMT.
After five meetings, the head-to-head record between these two countries is tied, with each team claiming two wins, a draw, and two defeats. Croatia defeated Argentina 3-0 in the last World Cup, but we expect Messi and co. to exact revenge in Qatar. Argentina looks very good going forward, and they were strong at the back until the final moments against the Dutch. Croatia, while not as dangerous as the Dutch, should be more difficult to break down. Nonetheless, we expect the South Americans to advance to the final.
Croatia knew they would have to frustrate Brazil if they were to make it through the most difficult of quarter-final draws. The Europeans took the game to Neymar and his teammates, who were struggling to get into the game. The game was scoreless after 90 minutes, but Brazil appeared to have done enough to win when Neymar scored in the 105th minute. Croatia, on the other hand, never gave up, and in the 117th minute, Petkovic scored his first international goal in over two years, thanks to a deflection, to force a penalty shoot-out.
Argentina appeared to have their Quarter-Final match wrapped up as the game neared its conclusion. With just 17 minutes remaining, the favourites were 2-0 up thanks to goals from Molina and Messi, but van Gaal sent on his secret weapon, Weghorst, who first headed home to make it 2-1 in the 83rd-minute and then finished neatly with virtually the last touch in stoppage-time to send the game into extra-time. Argentina appeared stunned, but held on for 30 minutes of extra time to see the game decided by a penalty shootout.
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