The World Cup’s best dribblers — lionel Messi and Arjen Robben — face off when Argentina and The Netherlands meet in the semifinals. In Brazil, Robben has been quick, Messi has been quicksilver.
On Wednesday in Sao Paulo, either one could turn the semifinal with a dazzling turn of pace or a weaving run to propel his team to the final. “We have to cut the supply line to Messi,” Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi told Dutch website Nu.nl.
The Barcelona star led Argentina through the group stage with four goals. He has also made 180 passes in his five matches so far.
The Dutch have shared the goal-scoring duties more evenly — Robben and Robin van Persie each have three, Memphis Depay has two of the team’s total of 12 — but the Bayern Munich winger’s scintillating sprints with the ball have often been the highlights of Oranje matches.
“We know that we’ll play against one of the best teams when it comes to counterattacks because of the speed of their men up front,” Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano said. “So we have to take precautions to not give them the possibility to counterattack, to always be well positioned, to not lose balls unnecessarily in areas where there’s a lot of risk.”
After scoring 10 times in group play, the Netherlands has managed only two in its two knock-out matches and the Dutch will be hoping captain Van Persie regains his touch in front of goal. He looked off the pace and missed an easy chance near the end of regulation time in the quarter-final.