Goalkeeper Sergio Romero turned out to be a hero for his side as his two spectacular saves in the penalty shootout against the Netherlands sent Argentina into the World Cup final after 24 years, here Wednesday.
The second semifinal between the two heavyweight teams ended scoreless in the regulation 90 minutes and 30 minutes of extra time. It was decided via penalty shootout in which Argentina prevailed 4-2 to set up the title clash European powerhouse Germany.
Captain Lionel Messi, Ezequiel Garay, Sergio Aguero and Maxi Rodriguez scored for Argentina while only Arjen Robben and Dirk Kuyt found the target for the Dutch side.
Romero blocked shots from Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder to keep one South American side in title hunt following Brazil's 1-7 annihilation by Germany.
It is Argentina's first World Cup final entry in 24 years after 1990 when they lost to Germany in the final under Diego Maradona. Now stage is set for Argentina to take revenge for that loss in Sunday's title showdown in Rio de Janeiro.
In stark contrast to the goals galore in first semifinal, the Argentina-Netherlands match was more of a battle of attrition with very few goal-scoring chances as both sides tried to break down their opponents gradually.
The clash between the two heavyweights was though not without some tense and gripping spells with some fine build-ups but none of the two sides either blinked or committed mistakes to give the other team a chance.
The Dutch were able to keep Argentine captain Messi quiet for most part of the match with Ron Vlaar doing a great job by denying the four-time World Player of the Year free space, stopping him with fine tackles on a couple of occasions.
