Football “It was on purpose”: in Argentina they continue to reveal the details of Qatar 2022 and admit to having provoked the Netherlands

In Argentina, they continue to reveal details of their title at the 2022 World Cup. In this competition, one of the most memorable and controversial matches was the quarter-finals, where the Albiceleste eliminated the Netherlands on penalties. It was a competition that had everything. Combat included. Situations which gave rise to a wild celebration from those led by Lionel Scaloni, celebrating the last score against their rivals. Overreaction? Almost two years after the competition, this meeting continues to make noise.

“The hit on the Dutch bench? Yes, it was on purpose, now that a lot of time has passed we can say that. It was because of the statements of the players and the CT that the ball stayed there and I hit it. On top of that, I made a mistake,” admitted the midfielder, in dialogue with the Telefe channel.

That day, until the 80th minute, Argentina was winning 2-0 and it seemed that qualifying for the semi-finals was a simple task. However, towards the end, those led by Louis Van Gaal scored twice and forced extra time. Until stoppage time, it was an aggressive match, with numerous yellow cards, conditioned by the refereeing of Antonio Mateu Lahoz, but not directly violent. But things happened in the game that heated things up. One of the main ones was when Paredes, after inflicting a serious offense on Nathan Aké, threw a ball into the Netherlands bench. The reaction was not long in coming. All the substitutes stood up and the starters also arrived. At this time, Virgil Van Dijk himself hit the midfielder with a blow.

Of course, the enmity came from before. In the days leading up to the duel, the Dutch strategist had spoken of his rivals in terms that were not very popular with Scaloni’s team. He spoke, for example, about his relationship with Ángel Di María, who a few years ago said he was the worst coach he had. I’m really sorry and sad for saying that. Memphis Depay also had to deal with that in Manchester, and now we’re kissing each other on the lips”, quips. He at the same time detailed some personal situations experienced by the Argentinian with the Red Devils. “It’s a good footballer but he had personal problems. They broke into his house to rob him and that affected his level,” the coach said.

Once the result was consumed, the mess was far from over. “What are you looking at, stupid?” Go Pennsylvania there, go Pennsylvania “There you go, stupid,” he told her. Lionel Messi twice Wout Weghorst just when he was interviewed by the TyC Sports channel. La Pulga described the Tulipanes shooter as “19”, given his jacket number.

“From the moment he entered the game, he started to provoke us, to shock us, to say things to us. It seems to me that this is not part of football. I always respect everyone and like to receive the same. Their coach was not respectful towards us,” said the Albiceleste captain. This was the beginning of the explanation. A few minutes earlier, after scoring 2-0, Messi had walked to the edge of the pitch and pointed his gaze towards Van Gaal’s coaching staff, to perform the same “Topo Gigio” gesture. Because? Not just because of the mess between the strategist and Di María. The coach would also state that: “Messi is the most dangerous player, the one who creates the most chances and makes them himself, but, on the other hand, he does not play much when the opponent is in possession of the ball. “There are also our possibilities.”

The statements did not go down well with the Rosario man. In his post-match statements, the star threw another dart. “Van Gaal sells that he plays good football and scores great balls,” they said.