Argentina Advances To World Cup Final, Goalkeeper Romero Stops Two Penalty Kicks [Photo Gallery]
Argentina advanced to the World Cup final, following a lackluster game against the Netherlands, which ended in a dramatic penalty shootout — the highlight of the match. Without impressing critics or fans, La Albiceleste has barely made it, but do they have what is needed to stop Germany’s goal-scoring machine?
That is the million dollar question, and we will find the answer when Argentina and Germany meet in the final on Sunday at the legendary Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. As Brazil fans are still reeling from the loss their team suffered at the hands of Germany on Tuesday, they will have to watch their hated neighbors play in a match which was supposed to star the Verde Amarela.
The shock of seeing Brazil’s 7-1 loss against Germany in the other semifinal left the entire football loving world too stunned for words, and after the eight goals scored in that historic game, neither Argentina nor Netherlands could score on Wednesday. The match ended in extra time, followed by the always dramatic penalty shootout.
With the score still at 0-0 after two 15-minute periods in the extra time, it was time to decide the match by penalty kicks, and that’s when something amazing happened to turn the match from a snooze to a shocking ending. Not surprisingly, Argentina did away with the Orange — yet again — to continue their sad World Cup saga. Holland has never won a title and was denied in back-to-back losses in 1974 and 1978.
The undisputed hero of the match was Argentina’s goalie, Sergio Romero, who, when it really counted, came through and allowed the two-time champions to advance to their fourth World Cup final. In one of the most shocking penalty kicks rounds in World Cup history, Romero stopped Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder, one of Netherlands star goal scorers.
There was no way Holland could come back from two goals down in the penalty shootout, and Argentina won the penalty shot contest 4-2, leaving the Orange heartbroken once more as they came oh-so close to that final. However, Argentina is the South American representative and must fight to keep the record of denying a European team a victory when the World Cup is hosted on the South American continent.
Messi was a non-factor, proving that Argentina is much more than just the Barcelona superstar and making Brazil’s 7-1 even harder to bear. If the host has to witness their bitter rival taking the title on their home soil, things could get ugly. It was apparent during the Netherlands vs. Argentina match that the crowd was with the Orange, even if Argentina is right next door.
Be sure to follow The Inquisitr’s coverage of the dramatic World Cup final between Argentina and Germany on Sunday, July 13 at 2:00 PM and check-in before the game for all the latest World Cup news.
[Images via FIFA.com and Twitter]
