2008 Olympics: Argentina vs Netherlands LIVE

We are just underway here in Shanghai for the quarterfinal matchup between Argentina and the Netherlands! Should Sergio Batista’s men be victorious they will find themselves in a semifinal with Brazil, who earlier today defeated Cameroon 2-0.

The game can be see LIVE on MSNBC.

6:40: Shot went just wide for Cameroon. A great pace to the game in the opening minutes.

8:00: Some great defending from the Dutch denies Messi, and only seconds later Aguero nearly hits the far post. Things could go either way at the moment.

10:00: Now it’s di Maria’s turn, for a shot on goal! A furious start for both sides, Argentina look to have a battle in front of them.

12:30: First yellow card of the match for the Dutch, who give up a dangerous free kick to Riquelme.

13:00: Riquelme can olny manage to hit the wall. When will he score in these games?

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

15:30: A beautiful gol from Lionel Messi! After a slipup from the Netherlands defense, Messi steals the ball and skips past the keeper and 3 defenders. A wonder strike from la Pulga, and Argentina are up 1-0.

16:51: And… a commercial?!? Thanks NBC.

19:50: And we’re back, and still 1-0 to Argentina.

21:10: Corner for the Netherlands. Argentina must be careful not to concede anything here.

23:26: An odd play from the Dutch; with a striker wide open and with space, his teammate apparently doesn’t see him and the play dies.

26:59: The game has slowed a bit after the goal, but Argentina are still on the attack. Corner now for Riquelme.

29:40: NED waste an opportunity. Their body language is showing some frustration.

31:00: And Aguero nearly makes it 2-0! Struggling with 2 defenders near the corner flag, el Kun somehow makes a threat of it, and comes close to pushing it past the keeper. But it’s one touch too many, and the play is lost. Still, a great sign from Aguero who’s been quiet these games.

AND COMMERCIAL. The only thing worse than having to hear Marcello Balboa.

34:03: Apparently we missed something, as the Dutch are preparing for a free kick and Aguero is down in the ARG box. He’s up now, but will retreat to the sidelines for treatment. Dangerous chance now for the NED.

35:58: Oh no, the NED equalizes on a strange play. After their free kick is deflected off the wall, the rebounding ball finds its way to a Dutch player all alone who calmly puts it in. Argentina can only stnad around and hope that offsides is called, which is denied. Bad luck for Argentina, and we’re 1-1.

42:11: Shot from the NED goes wide. The last thing Argentina needs is to go into the half a goal down. They must hang on for a few minutes more, then regroup. They definitely seem to be playing a bit conservatively now.

43:40: Aguero attempts a bicycle kick in the box, but finds only air.

45:21: We go for 2 minutes more.

HALFTIME: ARG 1-1 NED

Despite some brilliant individual moment, Argentina are still failing to completely come together as a team. While a 1-1 scoreline is not insurmountable, Sergio Batista’s men were unable to take advantage when they had the Dutch playing on their heels, and as a result, a silly and lucky goal means Argentina will now have to comeback in the second half.

SECOND HALF: The teams are slowly coming back onto the field. No word on any substitutions yet.

45:00: And we’re back.

47:38: Aguero misses! Que paso, papa?!?!? In front of the net, that should have been an absolute sitter. Argentina CANNOT afford to rue these chances. What has happened to Aguero in this tournament?

50:26: Offsides on Aguero. Batista may need a change if things stay like this. No urgency it seems from either team.

53:13: Aguero misses yet another chance. di Maria’s cross is just a bit high for el Kun, but with the keepr frozen, Aguero misses yet another chance to put Argentina ahead.

55:16: The Netherlands holds all the advantage right now, playing at a much more relaxed and controlled pace and forcing Argentina to come at them. If the squad slips up even once, they could be in some serious trouble. A tepid performance so far.

60:43: Argentina just can’t get any kind of attack together. And with the Netherlands playing conservatively, the game is at a serious lull right now.

And………commercial. It’s enough to make you miss ESPN.

64:24: Thanks NBC for letting us miss a clash between Messi and Pieters, the second of whom is still down.

68:03: Back from commercial break. Vamo’ Argentina!!

69:42: Aguero. Offside. Again.

70:00: Messi laid up a perfect pass to Gago who fumbles it in the box.

70:30: Uh-oh. Ustari is on the ground after limping for a loose ball. Could this get any worse? Let’s see if Romero comes in.

73:46: And Sergio Romero will be coming in to replace Ustari. It’s a huge blow for Argentina, but there’s still plenty of time for the win.

77:00: di Maria dives in the box, and thankfully avoids a yellow. A pointless waste of time at this stage in the game.

80:50: Yellow for Messi after a dumb challenge. Messi goes boots up on a loose ball. Things are looking bleak here.

82:45: Under 10 minutes and there is no sense of this being decided in regular time. Argentina looks bored, lost, confused, and out of ideas, and the Netherlands are content to play on. Does anyone want to win this game?

84:28: Corner for Argentina.

84:48: di Maria’s cross finds the head of Pareja, but it’s too high.

86:48: The Netherlands blew an easy chance to win the game just now. That would have been a disaster.

89:00: And Messi nearly wins it!! Riquelme wins the ball in midfield and perfectly sets up Messi who turns through 3 defenders, but the Dutch keeper holds onto the shot. Nooooo!

90:26: Now it’s the Netherlands again who come within inches to scoring. nail-biting time.

END OF REGULAR TIME
ARG 1 – 1 NED

And the ref puts that embarrassing half to an end. Overall the Netherlands held the advantage but failed to do anything with it, while Argentina meanwhile looked completely dazed. Sure there were missed chances which would have been enough to see them through to the semi’s, but their performance has not been what was expected of this squad. Batista needs to make a change quick. Lavezzi? Buonanotte? Whatever he does, something needs to change quick if Argentina wants to stay alive in this tournament.

First 15 Minutes of Extra Time

0:31ET: And Aguero steps right in and nearly scores. Why he’s still on the field is anyone’s guess, but if he can grab the game winner all will be forgiven.

2:20ET: Corner kick, but nothing.

5:32ET: The Dutch make their second substitute. Hmm, that makes sense doesn’t it?!

6:55ET: The Netherlands are starting to step it up here. Argentina still don’t look very sharp, as if they don’t know what’s on the line.

8:04ET: Finally, Lavezzi replaces Aguero. Hopefully it won’t be too late, but Lavezzi can change this game around. We hope.

AND ANOTHER FUCKING COMMERCIAL!!! WTF!?!?

11:47ET: Lavezzi gets a touch on the ball, and you can see his speed already make an impact.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DI MARIA GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

END FIRST 15 MINUTES OF EXTRA TIME
ARG 2 – 1 NED

At last Argentina go up 2-1 on a perfect strike from di Maria, clearly the best player for Argentina this evening, and finally getting the goal to show for it, thanks to a beautiful assist from Messi. Now, only 15 minutes separates the team from a date with Brazil. But before we can even think of that, we must concentrate on the Dutch.

Second 15 Minutes of Extra Time

15:42ET: Ever Banega replaces the potential game winner di Maria.

16:50ET: Elbow to the back of Messi leads to a Dutch yellow.

18:05ET: The Dutch have used up all their subs now. Hold on everyone.

20:12ET: Ten minutes to go.

21:10ET: Handball called on the Dutch. Let’s get a few more of those.

22:22ET: Garay is fouled in the middle of the pitch. Not a great job by Argentina in holding the ball, by the way.

23:30ET: More shock defending from Argentina again leads to the equalizer from the Dutch, but thankfully it’s off.

24:40ET: Messi comes so close, yet again. Brilliant control.

26:28ET: Just minutes left now. Argentina must do a better job retaining possession. The Dutch can still take this to penalties.

27:57ET: Throw in for the Dutch.

29:06ET: Corner for the NED.

FINAL WHISTLE
ARG 2 – 1 NED

Argentina were shocking at times, frustrating the rest, but they somehow got passed a disciplined Dutch side to advance to the semifinals where rivals Brazil await.

Los albicelestes have not had a brilliant tournament, but today’s match was by far the most difficult to watch, with very little sense of the Argentina we now and love. Poor finishing from Aguero (again), Messi and Riquelme unable to involve the rest of the squad in the attack, and particularly weak defending; this is not what will get Argentina to the final, let alone get passed Brazil. With the quality of the squad and the expectations put upon it, anything less than a date in the final will be seen as a letdown.

Still, the team somehow gets it done, and it’s time to put this performance behind us and focus at the task at hand.

Thanks for waking up early, and we’ll meet here again for the semi’s. Brendan will have his breakdown of the match later this weekend. Chau.