The Argentina coach hinted at the bad Dutch team
"The Netherlands plays in a way that I could not imagine," Scaloni said after the win at Lusail on the evening of December 9. "But each team, each coach decides how to play. I won't talk about the Dutch philosophy, but the second half was very ugly. We didn't have a chance, when the game was interrupted frequently. But that was it. the Dutch way of playing".
Yesterday, the players of the two teams repeatedly collided, argued, even scuffled, causing referee Antonio Mateu to draw 18 yellow cards, a record number at a World Cup match. In it, there are two cards for Argentina coaching staff members, assistant Walter Samuel and Scaloni himself, for the error of reaction.
Tension peaked in the 88th minute, when Leandro Paredes fouled Nathan Ake and then shot the ball straight into the Dutch technical area. Captain Virgil van Dijk immediately rushed in to push his chest, causing Paredes to fall to the field, while players from both teams rushed into a scuffle.
When entering the penalty kick, Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries repeatedly provoked the opponent and received two consecutive yellow cards. Another Dutch member, substitute Noa Lang, was also warned for the outrageous controversy.
Admittedly not satisfied with the Dutch play, but Scaloni understands the approach of colleague Louis van Gaal because of the important nature of the game. The 44-year-old coach also confirmed that he has no grudge against Dutch players, because "what happens on the field will stay on the pitch".
As for the home team, Scaloni praised captain Lionel Messi - who created Nahuel Molina to open the scoring, double the penalty and successfully made the first leg in the penalty shootout. "Argentina has 11 people, but Messi is the most important player. Today, Messi proved he is the greatest player in history. It is great that Messi plays for Argentina," Scaloni said.
After the Netherlands was led by two goals, Van Gaal launched a duo of strikers over 1.8m - Luuk De Jong and Wout Weghorst - into the field, and pushed Virgil van Dijk up to participate in the attack in many situations. This decision was effective when the Netherlands created suffocating pressure through crosses in the last 20 minutes, equalizing thanks to Weghorst's double to force the game to be decided on the penalty spot.
After the match, Messi harshly criticized Dutch football, when he put tall players and used the winging strategy to head. But coach Scaloni refused to talk about the opponent's tactics because he felt "unqualified". He mainly praised the bravery of the students and affirmed that Argentina's goal is to play all seven matches at the 2022 World Cup.
The victory over the Netherlands helps Argentina to the semi-finals of the World Cup eight years after they finished second in 2014. The South American team will meet Croatia at Lusail Stadium on December 13, to compete for a place in the 2022 World Cup final.
