The final two places in next week’s World Cup semi-finals are up for grabs in Brazil as Argentina take on Belgium and the Netherlands face Costa Rica for a place in the last four.
Argentina will once again turn to Lionel Messi for inspiration when they tackle star-studded Belgium here on Saturday in a World Cup quarter-final haunted by ghosts of yesteryear.
Victory would take Argentina into the last four, where either Holland or Costa Rica will await, for only the second time since they last won the tournament in 1986, beating Belgium in the semi-finals en route.
But despite results living up to expectations, performances have not, and the team’s dependence on Messi has been cited as the key factor.
With four goals in three matches, the Barcelona megastar was his side’s saviour in the group phase, while in the 1-0 extra-time victory over Switzerland in the last 16 he seemed the only player capable of making a difference.
It is likely to be no different against Belgium and Messi’s task will be rendered doubly difficult by the fact that the opposition goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois of Atletico Madrid, has kept him at bay for seven games in succession.
The Messi-Courtois duel is one of many subplots in a game that carries strong echoes of the last World Cup encounter between the teams in Mexico City, which Argentina won 2-0 thanks to a glorious Maradona brace.
Then, as now, Argentina were dependent on the brilliance of one prodigiously gifted player, whereas Belgium’s success was built upon the emergence of an exceptionally talented generation of players, and these two completely different philosophies will go head-to-head for a place in the semi-finals in the Brazilian capital Brasilia.
In the last remaining quarter-final, the highly fancied Dutch team take on an impressive Costa Rica outfit who will be determined to cause a major upset in Salvador.
The latest chapter in Costa Rica’s fairytale World Cup story could be written against the Netherlands. Billed as the whipping boys of Group D prior to the Brazil showpiece, Costa Rica beat Uruguay and Italy to top the pool before producing a thrilling last-16 win over Greece on penalties.
Goalkeeper Keylor Navas proved to be Costa Rica’s hero, with his outstretched left hand denying Theofanis Gekas before Michael Umana hit the winning spot-kick.
Jorge Luis Pinto’s side scored all five of their penalties and their composure under pressure suggests a last-eight clash against Netherlands will not faze them.
They face a Netherlands side who have won all four games of the tournament, scoring 12 goals in the process.
A stunning 5-1 win against World Cup holders Spain set the tone for Louis van Gaal’s side but Mexico were able to push them all the way in the last 16.
Trailing 1-0 with two minutes of normal time remaining, goals from Wesley Sneijder and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar secured the Netherlands’ progression in the most dramatic of circumstances.
Like they were against Mexico, the Netherlands will be expected to dominate possession and control the match, something that may work against them and their counter-attacking style.
The nations have never met before and there is no question that the Netherlands enter the match as favourites, but Costa Rica’s stunning run in the tournament means nothing can be taken for granted in Salvador.
You can watch the closing stages to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil live across the BBC and ITV, with live streaming of every match available online across multiple platforms.
Visit our dedicated World Cup page – sport-onthebox.com/worldcup – for a full rundown of both channel’s comprehensive coverage of the tournament.
SOTB’s TV viewing guide to Day 21 of the 2014 FIFA World Cup:
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DAY 21: SATURDAY 5th JULY
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| QUARTER FINAL LIVE: 4.00pm-7.15pm Venue: Brasilia |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via ITV PLAYER
Argentina and Belgium both needed extra time to come through their last-16 contests against Switzerland and the USA, in what proved to be two physically draining encounters.
While his own goal-scoring run came to an end, Lionel Messi was instrumental in setting up Angel di Maria for what was the only goal of the game against the Swiss, but he remains their talisman having scored four of the country’s seven goals so far in the tournament.
Like many among the talented Argentine squad he is yet to produce his best form, and should they continue in that vain they could well pay for it against a Belgium side that laboured to victory during their three group matches, but showed great improvement against an American side that would surely have succumbed to defeat were it not for the heroics of goalkeeper Tim Howard.
The veteran stopper made a World-Cup record 15 saves throughout the match, but goals from Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku proved to be enough as the squad that has been labelled as a `golden generation’ for the country survived a late onslaught to win 2-1.
The side to emerge triumphant in this clash will progress to a semi-final against the victors of tonight’s other fixture in Salvador, which features the Netherlands and Costa Rica.
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| QUARTER FINAL LIVE: 8.30pm-11.10pm Venue: Salvador |
WATCH LIVE ONLINE via BBC iPLAYER
Coverage of the fourth quarter-final from the Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil, where the line-up for the semi-finals is confirmed.
Costa Rica are in uncharted territory having never made it to this stage at any previous World Cup finals that they have qualified for, but they have impressed hugely in this tournament, progressing at the expense of Italy and England, before beating Greece on penalties in the last round.
The Greek’s last-ditch equaliser and the penalty shootout added belated drama to what had been a less than enthralling encounter at times, but Costa Rica did enough to secure an historic win and book their first World Cup quarter final against the Dutch.
The Netherlands have an excellent World Cup pedigree, finishing as runners-up on three occasions, most recently in South Africa four years ago, and they were one of the top performing sides during the group stage this time around, following those displays with a late fightback against Mexico to book their place in the last eight.
Their astonishing late comeback rescued their World Cup dream and denied Mexico a first quarter-final in 28 years, with substitute Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scoring the decisive goal from the penalty spot in injury time.
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SPORT ON THE BOX’S COMPLETE WORLD CUP TV GUIDE
Saturday 5th July Match of the Day: World Cup Highlights – Quarter Finals (rpt) 11.10am-11.55am BBC Two ARGENTINA v BELGIUM Quarter Final – Brasilia | Kick-off: 17:00 LIVE: 4.00pm-7.15pm ITV NETHERLANDS v COSTA RICA Quarter Final – Salvador | Kick-off: 21:00 LIVE: 8.30pm-11.10pm BBC One Match Replay: 12.45am-2.30am (Sun) BBC Two In the event of extra-time and penalties, TV times are subject to change.
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