By DAN KARELL
Two teams who have relied on individual moments of brilliance to survive and advance finally meet in the World Cup semifinals in Sao Paulo.
Argentina take on the Netherlands (4 p.m. ESPN) in a re-match of the 1978 World Cup final, with both teams battling for the right to take on Germany on Sunday at the Maracana. The Netherlands’ Arjen Robben and Argentina’s Lionel Messi have nearly single-handedly carried their teams in this tournament but they’ll need some help defensively for this game to avoid becoming a shootout.
Despite some worries over his fitness, Robin Van Persie has been named in the Dutch starting lineup. Enzo Perez has taken the injured Angel Di Maria’s place in the Argentina starting XI.
The match happens to take place on Argentine Independence Day, which could give the Albiceleste players a boost heading into the match. However, if we are to learn anything from last night’s Brazil thrashing, it’s that too much emotion can lead to a loss of focus.
It will be tough to top Tuesday’s 7-1 result, but Argentina and the Netherlands could certainly produce plenty of highlights of their own.
If you will be watching today’s matches, please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.
Enjoy the action.