The Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal will face Argentina in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals with the desire to take revenge for the elimination in the 2014 World Cup semifinals in Brazil.
Van Gaal was at the helm when the Dutch side faced the South American nation eight years ago, losing in a penalty kick shootout. Now, the 71-year-old tactician wants to even the scoring.
“[Lionel] Messi is a player who can decide a match in individual action,” van Gaal told reporters (h/t TyC Sports). “In the semifinal we played against Argentina in 2014, he didn’t touch a ball and we lost on penalties. Now we want our revenge.”
Argentina arrived at this quarterfinals matchup by defeating Australia 2-1. Still, for some in the football media, the Argentine side has yet to convince that they’re indeed a legit contender to win the World Cup due to their dependency on Messi.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands defeated the United States 3-1 to earn their ticket to this phase of the World Cup. There’s no real favorite as the two sides come into this match evenly and it will likely mean the minor details could determine the outcome as to who advances to the semifinals.
