Netherlands coast as Costa Rica crash
Sunday, 6 July 2014
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 on 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. 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 on Saturday after a Gonzalo Higuain strike secured a 1-0 win over Belgium, according to AFP.