It was the fixture everybody was looking forward to right after the draw for Qatar 2022 was made. Before anyone knew that this edition of the World Cup would have a penchant for upsets, everyone expected both Netherlands and Argentina to top their respective groups. That would place them on a collision course in the quarterfinals.
Despite everybody's calculations going awry in Qatar, both Argentina and Netherlands managed to top their group, notwithstanding initial hiccups, and then overcome their opponents in the Round of 16 as well. Now, they will face each other in a fixture that is not only one of the more common ones in World Cup history, but also one of the most consequential.
Both are familiar foes -- this will be the sixth meeting between the two sides, and the only opponents Argentina have played more in World Cups is Germany. Not only has this fixture been played out often, it has also featured some of the landmark moments in World Cup history.
Their first encounter in 1974 is widely regarded as one of the best games Netherlands have ever played. Johan Cruyff was at his very best and nearly unstoppable at times. He scored twice and created another as Netherlands romped to a 4-0 win.
The situation had turned on its head four years later. Cruyff was no longer there -- he had announced a shock retirement after helping Netherlands qualify for the Cup. The tournament was being hosted in Argentina, by its military regime -- another chapter in FIFA's relationships with dictatorships. And a lot more was at stake for this was the final of the tournament!
The match began under acrimonious circumstances as Argentina marched out late and the Dutch threatened to walk off. An ill-tempered game was locked 1-1 in normal time. Mario Kempes' heroics in extra time won Argentina the game and their first-ever World Cup title.
The two countries had to wait 20 years to face each other again in a World Cup.
This time, it was in the quarterfinal of the 1998 World Cup. Much had changed. For Argentina, Diego Maradona had come and gone. In the orange corner, a talented young team full of future greats was on the rise. And the match itself was exciting.
Patrick Kluivert's first was canceled out by Claudio Lopez just five minutes later. Both sides found themselves a man down thanks to second-half red cards. Then, in the 89th minute, Dennis Begkamp settled it with one of the most memorable goals in World Cup history. Receiving a ball from deep inside his own half, Bergkamp brought it under control with the deftest of touches, nudged it past the onrushing Roberto Ayala, and then poked into goal with the grace of a ballerina.
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Curiously, that goal is also the last one to be scored in an Argentina-Netherlands fixture at the World Cup.
The two subsequent meetings between the two sides ended goalless. A group game in 2006 is perhaps the least significant meeting between these two sides. Despite many predicting that only one of them would go through, the Albiceleste and the Oranje drew with each other and beat the other teams in the group to make it a routine affair.
Eight years later, a lot more was at stake. Louis Van Gaal's Netherlands had played a boring, yet effective brand of football en-route the semifinals. Argentina was on a mission to win Lionel Messi a World Cup. Both regulation and extra time ended goalless. The Dutch faltered under the intense pressure of the shootouts and Argentina were through to the final.
On Saturday, the next chapter of this eventful rivalry will be played out at the Lusail Stadium. The parts that stars like Cruyff and Kempes played in previous iterations will now be played by the evergreen Messi and the likes of Cody Gakpo. Given the talent on display, it is perfectly reasonable to expect that another landmark moment in World Cup history will be born, something that will be played and replayed in highlights reels for years to come.
Messi has shown what he is capable of even at 35 years of age. For both Argentina and the Netherlands, history beckons. Only one of them, though, will be able to accept that invitation.