There was no love and lost between the Argentina and Netherlands players. The ill-tempered match ended with Argentina winning the match in shootout to cement their semifinal spot in the ongoing FIFA World Cup.
The moment Lautaro Martinez sent Andries Noppert the wrong way, Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi celebrated right in the Netherlands players’ faces.
Otamendi 💀 pic.twitter.com/G7dbfYaww7
— B24 (@B24PT) December 9, 2022
The 34-year-old made a deliberate beeline gesture in front of the heartbroken Dutch stars. He goaded his rivals by cupping both ears with his hands.
Argentina beat the Netherlands 4-3 in a penalty shootout to keep Lionel Messi’s World Cup dream alive on Friday after the Dutch had snatched a 2-2 draw from the jaws of defeat in an extraordinary quarter-final.
Argentina will take on Croatia in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
A third bench-clearing brawl of the match was the backdrop to Messi’s celebrations as some of the Dutch players, distraught after coming so close to one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history, clashed with their Argentine rivals.
A total of 16 yellow cards were shown throughout the contest by Spanish referee Antonio Mateu and Dutch wingback Denzel Dumfries was sent off after the final whistle for his part in the final brawl.
