Gonzalo Higuain smashed home an early goal as Argentina dashed the World Cup dreams of much-fancied Belgium with a 1-0 win in the quarter-finals in Brasilia on Saturday. Higuain struck in the eighth minute at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium to send Argentina into the last four for the first time since 1990 and thwart Belgian hopes of avenging their defeat in the 1986 semi-finals. Alejandro Sabella`s side will play either the Netherlands or Costa Rica, who face off in the fourth and final quarter-final later on Saturday. The only black mark for Argentina was an injury to influential midfielder Angel Di Maria that forced him off in the first half and may yet deny him a chance to play in the semi-final. Hours after Neymar was ruled out of the tournament due to injury and James Rodriguez was eliminated with Colombia, Lionel Messi gave further evidence to suggest the World Cup may yet belong to him.
He illuminated Argentina`s play with his trickery and incisive passing and although he failed to score, Higuain`s goal was enough to see off Belgium`s `golden generation`, for whom the occasion proved a step too far. A symbol of Belgium`s travails, star player Eden Hazard was booked for a crude challenge on Lucas Biglia and then replaced by Nacer Chadli with 15 minutes remaining. Showing three changes to the team that had laboured to beat Switzerland in the last 16 -- Jose Maria Basanta, Martin Demichelis and Biglia coming in -- Argentina were quick to put Belgium on the back foot. Messi was at the forefront, freeing Ezequiel Lavezzi for a low cross that Vincent Kompany hacked clear and then playing a central role in Argentina`s opener with a pirouette and pass to Di Maria. Di Maria`s subsequent pass was intended for the overlapping Pablo Zabaleta, but it flicked off Jan Vertonghen`s right foot and into the path of Higuain, who lashed in his first goal of the tournament. Messi then produced a cleverly weighted pass to Di Maria, who shifted the ball onto his left foot, only for Kompany to block. Though seemingly anodyne, it was a moment that could have lasting repercussions for Argentina. Di Maria injured himself while shooting and had to trudge off in the 33rd minute, with Benfica`s Enzo Perez coming on. Belgium seemed slightly inhibited, but after Kevin De Bruyne saw a 25-yard shot boxed away by Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero, Kevin Mirallas headed narrowly wide from a Vertonghen cross. Belgium coach Marc Wilmots pushed Marouane Fellaini further forward in the second half, but Argentina continued to threaten. Higuain twice came close to claiming a second goal, first seeing a shot deflected wide by Daniel Van Buyten and then neatly nutmegging Kompany, only for his shot to clip the bar. Wilmots reacted by introducing Romelu Lukaku and Dries Mertens, before hooking the ineffective Hazard. Belgium began to apply pressure, with Fellaini heading a Vertonghen cross over the bar and De Bruyne having a shot deflected wide. Messi should have made it 2-0 on the counter-attack in stoppage time, only for Thibaut Courtois to rush out and save, but Argentina held on nonetheless to join Germany and eternal rivals Brazil in the last four.
Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul was the hero as the Netherlands beat Costa Rica to seal a showdown with Argentina in a heavyweight World Cup semi-final lineup Saturday. Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal stunned onlookers at Salvador`s Fonte Nova Arena by bringing on Krul to replace Jasper Cillessen in the final seconds of extra-time after 120 minutes had finished deadlocked at 0-0. But van Gaal`s audacious move paid dividends as Newcastle keeper Krul saved Costa Rican penalties from Bryan Ruiz and Michael Umana to send the Dutch through the last four. The Netherlands will now play Argentina on Wednesday for a place in the July 13 final after hosts Brazil face Germany in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday. The team had won only one penalty shootout in five previous attempts at major championships. But penalty takers Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Dirk Kuyt all made no mistake from the spot to beat Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas. "It`s a dream come true for me," said Krul. "I watched the penalties. We`ve been preparing with all the goalkeepers and the goalkeeper coach." Van Gaal later said Krul was introduced because he could have a better chance of success in a shootout. "Every keeper has specific qualities and we felt that he had a better reach, and a better track record to stop penalties," van Gaal said. "We`d discussed it with Tim, how Costa Rica would shoot their penalties, their sequence. So he was prepared. "Fortunately it worked out, because if it hadn`t worked out, I would have taken the wrong decision. "That`s usually how it works out in football." The unforgettable shootout drama came after a gritty duel that saw the Netherlands dominate for long periods without being able to score. Sneijder came closest, twice hitting the woodwork in normal and extra-time. The win means the Netherlands are set for another chapter of their World Cup rivalry with Argentina, which includes the 1978 final won by the South Americans. Argentina advanced to the semi-final for the first time in 24 years on Saturday after a Gonzalo Higuain strike secured a 1-0 win over Belgium. Napoli striker Higuain lashed in an instinctive first time shot after eight minutes as Belgium`s hopes of qualifying for the last four wilted in Brasilia. Argentina`s win snapped a run of two successive World Cup quarter-final exits following failures against Germany in 2006 and 2010. It is the first time the South Americans have qualified for the last four since the 1990 finals in Italy. "We produced a very complete match. We weren`t able to create that many chances, but they didn`t make that many clear chances either," Argentina captain Lionel Messi said. Argentina have now won all five of their matches at the tournament, but they laboured in the group phase and were criticised for a lacklustre display in their 1-0 victory over Switzerland in the last 16. Beaten coach Marc Wilmots dismissively branded Argentina "an ordinary team with one extraordinary player" after the game, but Messi appeared similarly unimpressed with Belgium. "All they had were long-range shots," he said. "They have a lot of tall players but couldn`t do anything with them. We didn`t give them space. The most important thing here is that we won and we got through." Messi said that he and his teammates took great pride in matching the achievement of Diego Maradona`s 1990 side by reaching the last four. "This is amazing," he said. "We knew it was going to be difficult. "Argentina have gone a long time without doing this, and it was us who crossed the frontier." Wilmots paid tribute to his young side -- and delivered a withering verdict on Argentina. "We made some very small mistakes, but we learnt a lot tonight. We`re very disappointed, everyone is very down, but I`m very proud of the boys," he said. "But I`m not at all impressed by Argentina. They`re a very ordinary team with one extraordinary player," he said, referring to Messi. A hard-fought contest at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium was settled in the opening skirmishes. A ball from Real Madrid`s Angel di Maria deflected off Belgium defender Jan Vertonghen and fell invitingly into the path of Higuain, who rifled a shot past Thibaut Courtois.