Argentina reached their first World Cup semi-final since finishing as runners-up in 1990 with victory over Belgium in Brasilia. Gonzalo Higuain scored the only goal at Estadio Nacional, a thunderous early volley that ended his run of six international games without a goal. But Belgium's so-called 'golden generation' were undone by another quicksilver Lionel Messi performance, as Argentina set up a last-four encounter with the Netherlands in Sao Paulo on Wednesday. The two-time champions again failed to reach their fluid best, and it is significant that all five of their wins at this World Cup have been by a single goal. Belgium - every bit as disappointing as the French has been a day earlier in their quarter-final - went out with something of a whimper, lacking cohesion, creativity and precision and only threatening late on when they played one long ball after another towards Marouane Fellaini. But, on the day he equalled Diego Maradona's haul of ninety one caps for Argentina, Messi stood apart, with a performance of majesty that propelled his side into the last four. At times, he was balletic, at others he was bold. He played forty-yard passes with the precision of a master craftsman and pirouetted away from danger time and again. Sharper to the ball, more urgent in possession, Argentina started the quicker of the sides. With Brazil striker Neymar confined to a wheelchair for the rest of the tournament, there was a sense the tournament needed one of its superstars to produce a performance to remember. Messi did not disappoint. Belgium did not help themselves, however. 
Captain Vincent Kompany gave possession away carelessly inside his own half after eight minutes, the ball running to Messi. The Barcelona forward spun away from two defenders and clipped a pass to Angel Di Maria. His pass was deflected into the path of Higuain, who swivelled and volleyed unerringly beyond Thibaut Courtois to send the tens of thousands of Argentina fans in the stadium into raptures. There was more Messi magic to come. Argentina's talisman danced his way through a crowd of Belgium players before being clipped on the edge of the area. His resulting free-kick curled narrowly wide but Belgium were on the back foot. For much of the opening forty five minutes, the Red Devils were insipid, not inventive. Kevin de Bruyne stung Sergio Romero's palms from distance and Kevin Mirallas headed a Jan Vertonghen cross narrowly wide, but there was little pace or purpose. With Messi in the spotlight, Eden Hazard struggled to escape the shadow. Belgium were caught between wanting to throw caution to the wind and a fear of what Argentina might do on the counter attack. An example came ten minutes into the second half, when Mirallas lost the ball after a swift Belgium break. Higuain raced away, nutmegged Kompany and skimmed a curling shot onto the crossbar. The introduction of substitutes Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens was an attempt to change that dynamic. With time running out, Vertonghen found Fellaini, who headed over. Moments later, Ezequiel Garay almost deflected De Bruyne's cross into his own net. Hazard was replaced by Tottenham's Nacer Chadli as Marc Wilmots played his last card. Belgium poured forward in search of a goal that might take them to extra time, but failed to produce a moment that called Romero into serious action. Messi had a chance to cap his display with a late goal, only for Courtois to smother his shot when the pair faced each other one on one. With time running out, Belgium came again, Lukaku prodding a ball across goal before Axel Witsel fired the rebound over. But Argentina and Messi stood firm.
Goalkeeper Tim Krul came off the bench late in extra time and saved two penalties as the Netherlands beat Costa Rica in a shootout to set up a World Cup semi-final against Argentina. Newcastle's Krul saved from both Bryan Ruiz and Michael Umana to send the Dutch through after the game finished 0-0. Wesley Sneijder had twice hit the woodwork for the Netherlands, while Robin van Persie also had a shot turned onto the bar. Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal, who will take charge at The Scum at the end of the tournament, brought Krul on for Jasper Cillessen in added time at the end of one hundred and twenty minutes. And Krul's two saves proved decisive as the Dutch - who had lost each of their previous four World Cup matches which went to extra time - coolly converted all four of their spot-kicks. Costa Rica had progressed as winners from a group containing Uruguay, Italy and England, and once again impressed with their organisation and energy. But just as they did against Mexico in the second round, Van Gaal's team found a way through despite being some way short of the fluency they showed in patches during the group phase. Twenty one minutes had passed before the Netherlands managed an effort on goal. A sweeping move down the right ended with Dirk Kuyt pulling a cross back and Memphis Depay laid the ball off for Van Persie, whose low drive was blocked by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who also saved Sneijder's follow-up. Depay might have done better when he was slipped through by Van Persie, but the PSV Eindhoven forward's stab at the near post was turned away by Navas. Costa Rica's only threat came from Christian Bolanos free-kicks, with one flying just too high for midfielder Celso Borges to connect with, and another headed back across goal by Borges only for Johnny Acosta to fail to make contact. Navas showed his quality once again when he tipped a bending Sneijder free-kick away from the top corner, but the Netherlands offered little going forward as the second half developed. After forcing Giancarlo Gonzalez to head off target following a Bolanos set-piece, Ron Vlaar glanced a header high and wide from a whipped Sneijder free-kick at the other end.
And when Navas was beaten, Sneijder's curling free-kick bounced away off a post. As the Netherlands exerted some late pressure, Navas turned away a low drive from Van Persie and The Scum's striker failed to make contact with a fine Sneijder cross. Yeltsin Tejeda then diverted a close-range Van Persie effort onto his own crossbar as a tiring Costa Rica took the game into extra time. The Dutch continued to push on, with Navas forced to palm away a Vlaar header, but they could not find a way through, and Costa Rica had a penalty appeal rejected when Vlaar challenged substitute Marcos Urena, who then forced a full-length save from Cillessen. There was still time for Sneijder's twenty-yard curling drive to strike the crossbar, but it went to a penalty shootout and after Van Persie, Robben, Sneijder and Kuyt all converted their penalties, Krul's save from Urena sent the 2010 beaten finalists through to the last four.
Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal says that Tim Krul's greater height and reach was the reason he sent the super-sub keeper on for the World Cup quarter-final penalty shootout win over Costa Rica. Krul, who is six feet four inches, replaced the six foot two inch Jasper Cillessen with seconds remaining in the 0-0 draw. And, as all the girls will tell you, two inches can make all the difference in a chap's worth. 'We all thought Tim was the best keeper to stop penalties,' said Van Gaal. 'He is taller and has a longer reach.' He added:
'It worked out. That was beautiful. I'm a bit proud of that.' Van Gaal, who will take over at The Scum after the World Cup, did not tell first-choice keeper Cillessen he might be taken off if the game went to a shootout after extra time. However, Krul was informed he might be called upon. Krul, whose saves from Bryan Ruiz and Michael Umana were his only two touches of the ball, told the BBC Sport website: 'I psyched them out. You try to do everything you can without being too aggressive. I tried to get in their minds. It is something I have dreamed about since I was a little boy - to have that moment when you make the crucial save and then all the boys are running towards you.' Despite Krul's match-winning saves he will be back on the bench for the semi-final, with Ajax's Cillessen in goal. 'There is no question about who will start the next game, it will be Cillessen, but we felt Krul was the better choice here,' said Van Gaal. Costa Rica midfielder Celso Borges said of the goalkeeping change: 'I never saw something like that. But they were right, he did his job.'
BBC presenter Gary Lineker goaded two of his analystis - yer actual Ruud Gullit and Alan Shearer his very self - by bringing up a very touchy subject during Friday's Match Of The Day Live. As Germany led Didier Deschamps' France side 1-0 during half-time of their World Cup quarter-final, sitting opposite Lineker were Gullit and Shearer, who were part of the same Newcastle United set-up during the 1998-99 Premier League season – the Dutchman was in charge of the Magpies, with Shearer as their talismanic striker and captain. And it was during one particularly notorious fixture to which that naughty scamp Lineker alluded to. Complimenting Deschamps’s management skills in having the nerve to drop big-name players, Lineker asked whether Gullit had ever done such a thing during his managerial career. The presenter was, of course, alluding to the night when the Dutchman dropped Shearer for a huge derby against fierce rivals Blunderland - a decision which was, unsurprisingly, met with huge outrage and controversy on Tyneside (especially as the Mackems won the subsequent game 2-1 in a virtual monsoon, a result which, effectively, cost Gullit his job). As TV viewers across the country held their collective breath, unsure as to what the reaction would be from both men, an awkward pause was followed - thankfully for everyone - by raucous laughter. As it happens Rudi and Alan seem to get on quite well these days, which is probably more than can be said for Shearer - never a man to forget somebody taking a rise out of him without an elbow being involved - and Lineker. Expect further developments on this one!
Captain Vincent Kompany gave possession away carelessly inside his own half after eight minutes, the ball running to Messi. The Barcelona forward spun away from two defenders and clipped a pass to Angel Di Maria. His pass was deflected into the path of Higuain, who swivelled and volleyed unerringly beyond Thibaut Courtois to send the tens of thousands of Argentina fans in the stadium into raptures. There was more Messi magic to come. Argentina's talisman danced his way through a crowd of Belgium players before being clipped on the edge of the area. His resulting free-kick curled narrowly wide but Belgium were on the back foot. For much of the opening forty five minutes, the Red Devils were insipid, not inventive. Kevin de Bruyne stung Sergio Romero's palms from distance and Kevin Mirallas headed a Jan Vertonghen cross narrowly wide, but there was little pace or purpose. With Messi in the spotlight, Eden Hazard struggled to escape the shadow. Belgium were caught between wanting to throw caution to the wind and a fear of what Argentina might do on the counter attack. An example came ten minutes into the second half, when Mirallas lost the ball after a swift Belgium break. Higuain raced away, nutmegged Kompany and skimmed a curling shot onto the crossbar. The introduction of substitutes Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens was an attempt to change that dynamic. With time running out, Vertonghen found Fellaini, who headed over. Moments later, Ezequiel Garay almost deflected De Bruyne's cross into his own net. Hazard was replaced by Tottenham's Nacer Chadli as Marc Wilmots played his last card. Belgium poured forward in search of a goal that might take them to extra time, but failed to produce a moment that called Romero into serious action. Messi had a chance to cap his display with a late goal, only for Courtois to smother his shot when the pair faced each other one on one. With time running out, Belgium came again, Lukaku prodding a ball across goal before Axel Witsel fired the rebound over. But Argentina and Messi stood firm. Goalkeeper Tim Krul came off the bench late in extra time and saved two penalties as the Netherlands beat Costa Rica in a shootout to set up a World Cup semi-final against Argentina. Newcastle's Krul saved from both Bryan Ruiz and Michael Umana to send the Dutch through after the game finished 0-0. Wesley Sneijder had twice hit the woodwork for the Netherlands, while Robin van Persie also had a shot turned onto the bar. Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal, who will take charge at The Scum at the end of the tournament, brought Krul on for Jasper Cillessen in added time at the end of one hundred and twenty minutes. And Krul's two saves proved decisive as the Dutch - who had lost each of their previous four World Cup matches which went to extra time - coolly converted all four of their spot-kicks. Costa Rica had progressed as winners from a group containing Uruguay, Italy and England, and once again impressed with their organisation and energy. But just as they did against Mexico in the second round, Van Gaal's team found a way through despite being some way short of the fluency they showed in patches during the group phase. Twenty one minutes had passed before the Netherlands managed an effort on goal. A sweeping move down the right ended with Dirk Kuyt pulling a cross back and Memphis Depay laid the ball off for Van Persie, whose low drive was blocked by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who also saved Sneijder's follow-up. Depay might have done better when he was slipped through by Van Persie, but the PSV Eindhoven forward's stab at the near post was turned away by Navas. Costa Rica's only threat came from Christian Bolanos free-kicks, with one flying just too high for midfielder Celso Borges to connect with, and another headed back across goal by Borges only for Johnny Acosta to fail to make contact. Navas showed his quality once again when he tipped a bending Sneijder free-kick away from the top corner, but the Netherlands offered little going forward as the second half developed. After forcing Giancarlo Gonzalez to head off target following a Bolanos set-piece, Ron Vlaar glanced a header high and wide from a whipped Sneijder free-kick at the other end.
And when Navas was beaten, Sneijder's curling free-kick bounced away off a post. As the Netherlands exerted some late pressure, Navas turned away a low drive from Van Persie and The Scum's striker failed to make contact with a fine Sneijder cross. Yeltsin Tejeda then diverted a close-range Van Persie effort onto his own crossbar as a tiring Costa Rica took the game into extra time. The Dutch continued to push on, with Navas forced to palm away a Vlaar header, but they could not find a way through, and Costa Rica had a penalty appeal rejected when Vlaar challenged substitute Marcos Urena, who then forced a full-length save from Cillessen. There was still time for Sneijder's twenty-yard curling drive to strike the crossbar, but it went to a penalty shootout and after Van Persie, Robben, Sneijder and Kuyt all converted their penalties, Krul's save from Urena sent the 2010 beaten finalists through to the last four.Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal says that Tim Krul's greater height and reach was the reason he sent the super-sub keeper on for the World Cup quarter-final penalty shootout win over Costa Rica. Krul, who is six feet four inches, replaced the six foot two inch Jasper Cillessen with seconds remaining in the 0-0 draw. And, as all the girls will tell you, two inches can make all the difference in a chap's worth. 'We all thought Tim was the best keeper to stop penalties,' said Van Gaal. 'He is taller and has a longer reach.' He added:
'It worked out. That was beautiful. I'm a bit proud of that.' Van Gaal, who will take over at The Scum after the World Cup, did not tell first-choice keeper Cillessen he might be taken off if the game went to a shootout after extra time. However, Krul was informed he might be called upon. Krul, whose saves from Bryan Ruiz and Michael Umana were his only two touches of the ball, told the BBC Sport website: 'I psyched them out. You try to do everything you can without being too aggressive. I tried to get in their minds. It is something I have dreamed about since I was a little boy - to have that moment when you make the crucial save and then all the boys are running towards you.' Despite Krul's match-winning saves he will be back on the bench for the semi-final, with Ajax's Cillessen in goal. 'There is no question about who will start the next game, it will be Cillessen, but we felt Krul was the better choice here,' said Van Gaal. Costa Rica midfielder Celso Borges said of the goalkeeping change: 'I never saw something like that. But they were right, he did his job.' BBC presenter Gary Lineker goaded two of his analystis - yer actual Ruud Gullit and Alan Shearer his very self - by bringing up a very touchy subject during Friday's Match Of The Day Live. As Germany led Didier Deschamps' France side 1-0 during half-time of their World Cup quarter-final, sitting opposite Lineker were Gullit and Shearer, who were part of the same Newcastle United set-up during the 1998-99 Premier League season – the Dutchman was in charge of the Magpies, with Shearer as their talismanic striker and captain. And it was during one particularly notorious fixture to which that naughty scamp Lineker alluded to. Complimenting Deschamps’s management skills in having the nerve to drop big-name players, Lineker asked whether Gullit had ever done such a thing during his managerial career. The presenter was, of course, alluding to the night when the Dutchman dropped Shearer for a huge derby against fierce rivals Blunderland - a decision which was, unsurprisingly, met with huge outrage and controversy on Tyneside (especially as the Mackems won the subsequent game 2-1 in a virtual monsoon, a result which, effectively, cost Gullit his job). As TV viewers across the country held their collective breath, unsure as to what the reaction would be from both men, an awkward pause was followed - thankfully for everyone - by raucous laughter. As it happens Rudi and Alan seem to get on quite well these days, which is probably more than can be said for Shearer - never a man to forget somebody taking a rise out of him without an elbow being involved - and Lineker. Expect further developments on this one!
