Argentina–Netherlands Football Rivalry
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The Argentina–Netherlands football rivalry is a highly competitive
sports rivalry A sports rivalry is intense competition between athletic teams or athletes, affecting participants, management, and supporters all to varying degrees. The intensity of the rivalry can range anywhere from a light hearted banter to serious violen ...
that exists between the national football teams of the two countries, as well as their respective sets of
fans Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...
. Unlike many football rivalries, this one is intercontinental, pairing the Argentinian team from
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
with the Dutch team from
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. First meeting in an international friendly in May 1974, the two teams met just one month later in the group stage of the
1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...
. Since then, the matchup has become one of the most common in the World Cup, with the two teams meeting a total of six times during the tournament. In total, the Netherlands have won four games to Argentina's one, with the other five other matches ending in a draw, including 2 victories for Argentina via penalty shootouts (2014 & 2022).


History

Considered by sports media to be two historically great teams, the Argentines and Dutch have developed an intense rivalry. They have met ten times in total, and six times during the
FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply called the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the ' ( FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The tournament ha ...
tournament.


First matches

The two teams first met on 26 May 1974 in an international friendly, won by the Netherlands 4–1. The following month, the two teams were drawn into
Group A Group A is a set of motorsport regulations administered by the FIA covering production derived vehicles intended for competition, usually in touring car racing and rallying. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, Group A vehicles w ...
of the second round of the
1974 FIFA World Cup The 1974 FIFA World Cup was the tenth FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in West Germany (and West Berlin) between 13 June and 7 July. The tournament marked the first time that the ...
held in
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. Their first FIFA World Cup matchup took place on 26 June;
Johan Cruyff Hendrik Johannes Cruijff (, internationally known as Johan Cruyff; 25 April 1947 – 24 March 2016) was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a ...
scored two goals in a victory for the Netherlands, which saw the Dutch defeat Argentina 4–0.


1978 FIFA World Cup final and 1979 friendly

The two teams met again in the 1978 FIFA World Cup final, with Argentina avenging their 1974 loss, defeating the Netherlands 3–1. Argentina hosted the 1978 tournament which was marred by controversy, with political pressure allegedly favoring Argentina on the pitch. Held under the backdrop of
Jorge Rafael Videla Jorge Rafael Videla (; ; 2 August 1925 – 17 May 2013) was an Argentine military officer and dictator, Commander in Chief of the Army, member of the Military Junta, and ''de facto'' President of Argentina from 29 March 1976 to 29 March 1981. H ...
's dictatorship, the tournament was seen as a tool for Argentine nationalist propaganda. The Peruvian national team were allegedly bribed to throw their match against Argentina, which sent the latter to the final over
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. In the final,
Mario Kempes Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi (; born 15 July 1954) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker or attacking midfielder. A prolific goalscorer, he finished as La Liga's top goalscorer twice with Valencia and amassed 11 ...
and
Dick Nanninga Dirk Jacobus Willem "Dick" Nanninga (17 January 1949 – 21 July 2015) was a Dutch footballer who played as a forward. At club level, he played for Dutch sides BV Veendam, Roda JC and MVV Maastricht. He also had a short spell with Hong Kong ...
scored during regulation, for Argentina and the Netherlands, respectively. Tied at 1–1, the match went into extra time. Kempes scored again and
Daniel Bertoni Ricardo Daniel Bertoni (born 14 March 1955) is an Argentine former footballer who played as a right or left winger. In Argentina, he had a successful career at Club Atlético Independiente, where he won three Copa Libertadores, one Intercontine ...
added another goal for the Argentines, securing them a 3–1 victory. The two teams met again the following year for a friendly game organized by FIFA to celebrate the organization's 75th anniversary. The game was documented by ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' writer Clive Gammon to be hotly contested, ending in a 0–0 draw; FIFA opted to stage a penalty shootout, which ended 8–7 in Argentina's favor. The game was also notable for featuring an 18-year-old
Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona (; 30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two joint winners of the FI ...
, who joined Argentina's roster due to a leg injury to Kempes.


1998 FIFA World Cup match and subsequent friendlies

After not meeting during the 1980s, the two teams met during the quarter-finals of the
1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...
. The Netherlands'
Patrick Kluivert Patrick Stephan Kluivert (; born 1 July 1976) is a Dutch former football player, coach and sporting director. He played as a striker, most notably for AFC Ajax, FC Barcelona and the Netherlands national team. He was part of Ajax's Golden Gen ...
and Argentina's Claudio López traded goals early in the match. Tied at 1–1, Dennis Bergkamp scored a late goal in the game's 90th-minute to give the Dutch a 2–1 victory. Bergkamp's goal would become regarded as one of the more iconic goals in FIFA World Cup history. The two teams met for a friendly in March 1999, which ended in a 1–1 draw. Another friendly between the two sides took place in February 2003; it saw
Giovanni van Bronckhorst Giovanni Christiaan van Bronckhorst (born 5 February 1975) is a Dutch football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Scottish Premiership club Rangers. Formerly a midfielder, he moved to left-back later in his career. ...
score a late goal in the 87th minute to give the Dutch a 1–0 victory.


Scoreless draws in the 2006 and 2014 FIFA World Cups

The two teams played in three consecutive draws in FIFA World Cup matches in 2006, 2014, and 2022. The 2006 match occurred during the tournament's group stage, as the Dutch and the Argentines were both drawn into
Group C Group C was a category of sports car racing introduced by the FIA in 1982 and continuing until 1993, with ''Group A'' for touring cars and ''Group B'' for GTs. It was designed to replace both Group 5 special production cars (closed top touri ...
. The final group stage game for both squads, they entered the game having both already secured a trip to the tournament's knockout stage. The match was a scoreless affair. Argentina finished ahead of the Netherlands in the group, due to winning the tie-breaker based on goal differential. Argentina and the Netherlands met again in the semi-finals of the
2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
. Described as "tedious" by
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Phil McNulty Phil McNulty is a Liverpool-born sports journalist. He has been BBC Sport’s chief football writer since July 2000. McNulty attended Roman Catholic secondary school De La Salle Grammar in Liverpool. He covered the FIFA World Cups for the BBC in ...
, the game provided little offense, as both defenses remained in control throughout the 0–0 draw. Deadlocked after extra time, Argentina prevailed 4–2 on penalties. They converted all four of their penalty attempts, while the Dutch's
Ron Vlaar Ron Peter Vlaar (born 16 February 1985) is a Dutch former Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back. Vlaar came up through AZ Alkmaar, AZ's youth ranks. After making his professiona ...
and
Wesley Sneijder Wesley Sneijder (; born 9 June 1984) is a Dutch retired professional footballer. Due to his elite playmaking ability, Sneijder was considered one of the best midfielders in the world during his prime. A product of the Ajax Youth Academy, he st ...
had their attempts saved by Argentine goalkeeper
Sergio Romero Sergio Germán Romero (; born 22 February 1987) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Boca Juniors. He has also played for the Argentina national team. Romero made his debut with Racing Club in the Argentin ...
.


2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals

Another FIFA World Cup matchup between the two teams occurred in the 2022 tournament's quarter-finals. The game was noted for its contentious nature prior to, during, and after the match. Prior to the match, Dutch manager
Louis van Gaal Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (; born 8 August 1951) is a Dutch former football player and manager. At club level, he served as manager of Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, as well as having three spel ...
stated "we've got a score to settle with Argentina for what happened two World Cups ago". The match saw Argentina take a 2–0 lead after
Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...
assisted Nahuel Molina on a goal in the first half, before scoring on a penalty goal in the second.
Wout Weghorst Wout François Maria Weghorst (born 7 August 1992) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Manchester United, on loan from club Burnley, and the Netherlands national team. Weghorst began his professional career i ...
, a late-game substitution for the Netherlands scored 2 goals, including one in the eleventh and final minute of stoppage time to help the Dutch even the game at 2–2. Between Weghorst's two goals, both benches cleared and players from both teams engaged in a scuffle due to a harsh foul from
Leandro Paredes Leandro Daniel Paredes (; born 29 June 1994) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Juventus, on loan from Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain, and the Argentina national team. He was part of the Ø®Ø·Ø ...
and the ball being kicked toward the Dutch sideline. The game remained tied after extra time, sending the two teams to a penalty shootout. Argentina prevailed 4–3, with both teams attempting five shots. Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made two saves and was notably animated during the shootout.
Lautaro Martínez Lautaro Javier Martínez (born 22 August 1997) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Inter Milan and the Argentina national team. Martínez began his football career in his native Argentina, where he made his ...
converted on Argentina's fifth attempt to send them to the semi-finals en route to their third FIFA World Cup victory. The game was noted by many football writers to be dramatic and hotly contested. The Argentinan players were seen gloating at the Netherlands side immediately after the match, but Argentinan defender
Nicolás Otamendi Nicolás Hernán Gonzalo Otamendi (born 12 February 1988) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Portuguese Primeira Liga club Benfica and the Argentina national team. Otamendi played for Vélez Sarsfield and ...
explained that this was in response to several Dutch players trying intimidation tactics during the penalty shootout. A record 17 yellow cards were handed out to players and coaching staff during the game; Antonio Mateu, the game's referee attracted controversy for his officiating. Reporting on the game, Jason Burt of ''
The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' wrote, "it was feisty, downright dirty and with huge amounts of gamesmanship. Even the post-match interviews were aggressive with Messi snapping at the Dutch camp as he talked." Messi said after the match that he felt disrespected by Van Gaal's pregame comments and stated, "some Dutch players spoke too much during the game". However, Messi later expressed regret for his actions during and after the match, calling them a result of several moments of tension between the two sides. This match is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Lusail ( es, Batalla de Lusail, nl, Slag bij Lusail) according to reports and fans.


Match history

Legend * – Indicates Argentina won on penalties * – Indicates the goal was scored from a
penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...


Notes


References

;Sources * Argentina at the 1974 FIFA World Cup Argentina at the 1978 FIFA World Cup Argentina at the 1998 FIFA World Cup Argentina at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Argentina at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Argentina at the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
Argentina–Netherlands relations History of the Netherlands national football team International association football rivalries Netherlands at the 1974 FIFA World Cup Netherlands at the 1978 FIFA World Cup Netherlands at the 1998 FIFA World Cup Netherlands at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Netherlands at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup {{DEFAULTSORT:Argentina-Netherlands football rivalry