An emotional Lisandro Martinez was in floods of tears after Argentina’s penalty shoot-out win over the Netherlands, explaining how the winning spot kick “freed” him after a gruelling night.
The defender, who had produced a goal-saving block against Australia in the last 16, started his second game of the tournament with his two other appearances coming from the bench. He saw his side lose grip on a two-goal lead during regulation time, Woug Weghorst grabbing a Dutch equaliser 11 minutes into stoppage time.
Argentina fans were put through the wringer after a goalless extra time saw the tie go to penalties. The South Americans came out on top, winning the shootout 4-3 to set up a semi-final tie with Croatia, who had beaten Brazil on spot kicks earlier in the day.
