Netherlands and Argentina will battle for a spot in the World Cup Semi-Final when the two heavy weights clash.
Argentina and Australia had a tight match in the round of 16, but Argentina managed to hold on and win 2-1. This will be a step up from the competition they have faced up to this point in the World Cup, and in what should be a tight contest, Lionel Messi may need one more magical performance.
Louis Van Gaal has guided his team to the World Cup quarterfinals, but it would be interesting to watch what he decides to do to counter this Argentina team that is determined to win.
Although the Netherlands’ 3-1 victory against the USA in the previous round appears to have been a straightforward triumph, they were outplayed and possibly second-best for many parts of the encounter. The USA may have scored more if they had a better finisher, but the Flying Dutchmen won’t care too much about that. They achieved their objective of winning quite effectively.
The Netherlands responded extremely well and sealed their passage into the Quarter-Finals with a goal from Dumfries in the 81st minute, making the final score 3-1. Blind scored a rare goal in first-half stoppage-time to make van Gaal’s half-time team talk easier.
Despite dominating Australia in the first half, Argentina struggled to find a way past the underdogs until Lionel Messi put the South Americans ahead in the 35th minute. Argentina appeared to be cruising to victory as Alvarez scored the second goal in the 57th minute. Australia had cause for optimism, though, after Fernandez scored an own goal in the 77th minute. With what was essentially the game’s final kick, Australia came dangerously close to leveling the scoreline, and Martinez was to thank for keeping the score at 2-1. With both teams finely poised for this encounter, Unibet is offering a tasty 27/25 for both teams to find the back of the net.