December 10: Argentina defeated the Netherlands 4-3 on penalties to keep Lionel Messi's World Cup dream alive after the Dutch side snatched a 2-2 draw from the jaws of defeat in an extraordinary quarter-final on Friday.

Argentina looked as if they were cruising to victory with a 2-0 lead with  only seven minutes of normal time remaining but the Dutch scored twice through substitute Wout Weghorst to send the match into extra time.

According to Reuters, Emiliano Martinez saved the first two Dutch penalties to give Argentina a huge advantage and Lautaro Martinez sent Andries Noppert the wrong way to set up a date for the South Americans with Croatia in the semi-finals on Tuesday.

A total of 16 yellow cards were shown throughout the contest by Spanish referee Antonio Mateu and Dutch wingback Denzel Dumfries was sent off after the final whistle for his part in the final brawl.