Wout Weghorst expressed dismay at being snubbed by Lionel Messi after the Netherlands striker was given the brush-off following Friday's chaotic quarter-final.

The Dutch frontman made a stunning impact as a substitute, scoring a late double to force a 2-2 draw and take the match to extra time.

He almost overshadowed Messi, whose penalty had put Argentina two goals clear, and afterwards it emerged Weghorst and Messi clashed following the Copa America champions' victory on penalties.

Prior to a post-match TV interview with TyC Sports, Messi said to somebody out of camera shot: "What are you looking at, fool?"

That bystander has been identified by the broadcaster as having been Weghorst.

The Netherlands are going home after being unable to cap their thrilling fightback, and Weghorst was taken aback by Messi's attitude when he caught up with him.

"I wanted to shake his hand after the game, I have a lot of respect for him as a soccer player," Weghorst said, "but he threw my hand to the side and didn't want to talk to me."

Quoted by Marca, Weghorst added: "My Spanish isn't very good, but he said disrespectful words to me and that disappoints me, really disappointing."

Weghorst became the first substitute to score twice in a World Cup match for the Netherlands.

The game saw 15 cards shown to players that played an active part, which set a new record for the most in World Cup history. Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries was sent off after the shoot-out, with tensions spilling over.

Lionel Messi was motivated to lead Argentina past the Netherlands due to feeling "a little attacked" by Louis van Gaal's pre-match comments, Lionel Scaloni said.

Messi is enjoying an outstanding World Cup and continued in that vein on Friday as he scored one and created another in a 2-2 quarter-final draw with the Netherlands.

Argentina advanced after a penalty shoot-out, recovering after Wout Weghorst's dramatic double had denied them victory in normal time.

There had predictably been plenty of focus on Messi heading into the match, with Netherlands coach Van Gaal suggesting Argentina were relying too heavily on their captain in attack while he would not be asked to defend.

Messi appeared to gesture in Van Gaal's direction on multiple occasions, including after scoring, cupping his ears in an apparent reference to Juan Roman Riquelme's own celebration.

Van Gaal and Riquelme were at odds during their time together at Messi's former club Barcelona.

"I'm not going to give Van Gaal advice, but it's not easy to make [Messi] play angry," Argentina coach Scaloni told TyC Sports.

"I don't know if he was angry, but to make him play the way he played today... it's exciting.

"These are things that happen on the pitch and stay there. But we didn't play with one less when we didn't have the ball, we played with 11.

"I think with Leo he felt a little attacked and showed that he is the best of all time. We are happy to have him."

After a last-16 win over Australia, in which Messi was similarly influential, team-mate Alexis Mac Allister had explained how the legendary forward was inspired to perform.

Messi was involved in a confrontation with Australia's Aziz Behich moments before scoring his first World Cup knockout goal.

"Leo, when these things happen, he brings out that inner fire that he has, that personality that makes him even bigger than he is," Mac Allister told reporters.

Lionel Messi accused Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal of showing "disrespect" before Argentina ended the Netherlands' World Cup hopes in Friday's dramatic quarter-final.

Van Gaal, remembering the 2014 semi-final between the teams, said ahead of Friday's game: "Eight years ago at the World Cup in Brazil, we succeeded well in neutralising Messi. He didn't hit a ball then."

That comment may have been one of the issues that upset Messi, while Argentina were also fired up by suggestions the Netherlands fancied themselves if the game came down to a penalty shoot-out.

The 2014 match finished goalless, with Argentina triumphing on penalties before losing to Germany in the final, but this time the Netherlands supposedly liked their chances on spot-kicks.

As it happened, a roller coaster game at Lusail Stadium did come down to a shoot-out, and Argentina won through once again to book a semi-final against Croatia.

Messi was rankled by the Dutch approach in the game, which saw Argentina's 2-0 lead reeled in after the Netherlands bombarded the Albiceleste penalty area with high balls in the closing stages.

Quoted by ESPN, Messi said: "I feel disrespected by Van Gaal after his pre-game comments and some Dutch players spoke too much during the game.

"Van Gaal sells that he plays good football and then he puts forwards in the box and starts throwing long balls. We deserved to go through and that's what happened."

Reports have also claimed that when Messi approached Van Gaal and Dutch assistant coach Edgar Davids after the game, he was complaining the Netherlands boss had too much to say, and his hand gesturing suggested as much.

Van Gaal's direct intentions were made clear when he brought on Wout Weghorst for Memphis Depay in the 78th minute, and the 6ft 5in striker made a major impact against the Argentina defence.

He headed in to cut the deficit, then scored from a sublimely worked free-kick that deceived Argentina, with his equaliser in normal time coming after 100 minutes and 30 seconds, the latest World Cup knockout stage goal on record, since Opta has exact goal times (from 1966).

Weghorst became the first substitute to score twice in a World Cup match for the Netherlands, and he apparently departed with another souvenir: a tongue-lashing from Messi.

"What are you looking at, fool?" Messi said to somebody off-camera before a TV interview with TyC Sports. That bystander has been identified by the Argentina broadcaster as having been Weghorst.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni praised his side for "facing every situation" after watching them come through a penalty shoot-out to see off the Netherlands and secure a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Scaloni's men squandered a 2-0 lead handed to them by a Nahuel Molina strike and a Lionel Messi penalty with two late efforts from Dutch substitute Wout Weghorst sending the match to extra-time and beyond.

Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez saved the Netherlands' first two spot-kicks, from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis, before Lautaro Martinez slotted home the winning kick to send Argentina through to a last four clash with Croatia.

Scaloni said: "Argentina have team spirit because we know how to face every situation in the game.

"It's true we did not deserve to go to a penalty shoot-out but we fought to the end because the Dutch caused trouble for us.

"It was a strange second half. When you think everything is over and then it is not you are surprised.

"This team has pride, experience as well as young players, and this is key as we want to fight."

The match boiled over on several occasions with Spanish official Antonio Mateu Lahoz setting a World Cup record by issuing 15 cards, 14 yellows and one red – to Denzel Dumfries after the shoot-out – to overtake the previous record of 14, set in 2002 between Cameroon and Germany.

He also seemed to lose control on a couple of occasions with both benches involved in pushing and shoving in the second half of normal time and again after 90 minutes.

Scaloni said: "I don't want to talk about the referee, I have a very good relationship with him and luckily everything turned out well.

"The game was heated, this was a quarter-final, it happens. It stays on the pitch but we had 11 men out there."

Asked if he was surprised at the Netherlands' approach late on of tossing long balls towards Weghorst and fellow substitute Luuk De Jong, Scaloni refused to comment.

He said: "I won't enter this debate. They played in a way I didn't expect but they were almost out of the World Cup, each coach works out how they want to play.

"I won't talk about their philosophy, I am no-one to judge how they played."

Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal now enters retirement having taken charge of the Dutch for a third and final time.

The 71-year-old has been heavily criticised by the country's media for his playing style during the World Cup but insists he bows out with his head held high.

He said: "There's nothing to reproach myself for. The boys fought until the bitter end and now they are in the dressing room feeling despondent. They gave everything, I am incredibly proud.

"I had a wonderful time. It's incredibly painful to go out like this, especially as I did everything I could to prevent this from happening.

"What I am leaving is an excellent group, as people and footballers. I was the coach for 20 games and we didn't lose any of them. There is a reason for that."

Argentina's progress to the World Cup semi-finals led Lionel Messi to say Diego Maradona is "pushing us from heaven".

Argentina have not won the tournament since Maradona inspired their second triumph in 1986, and this is the first finals since his passing two years ago.

Albiceleste captain Messi has long been compared to the country's other great number 10, with his performances in Qatar encouraging optimism of a long-awaited third title.

Messi provided a sensational assist for Nahuel Molina against the Netherlands in Friday's quarter-final, then doubled his side's lead from the penalty spot.

But Argentina were given a major scare as Wout Weghorst's dramatic double sent the tie to penalties.

Emiliano Martinez made a pair of saves, allowing Argentina to scrape through before celebrating on the pitch in front of their fans – with Maradona prominent in their thoughts.

"We leave that on the pitch with our people," Messi said. "We enjoyed that moment both here and in Argentina.

"People are full of enthusiasm, we are among the four semi-finalists.

"Now we have a weight off our shoulders, and we have been saying this from the beginning: Diego is pushing us from heaven."

Messi knew how close Argentina came to elimination, although he did not feel the match should have gone that far as Weghorst's second goal came from a controversial 101st-minute free-kick.

"There was a lot of disappointment when they drew level, which was very unfair," Messi said. "It came from a set-piece which I didn't think was a foul.

"I don't want to speak about referees, you can be punished and you can't be honest. He wasn't up to the standard and he was hard on us.

"When Lautaro Martinez scored, there was a huge weight off our chests. We could've been out after being 2-0 ahead."

Messi had also been critical of referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz in a television interview with beIN SPORTS. Lahoz showed 14 yellow cards and a red in a hot-tempered encounter.

"We feared before the game because we knew about this referee and FIFA should review that," Messi said. "They cannot use a referee like this at this stage of the tournament because he was not in control of the match."

Virgil van Dijk was left "very hurt" after the Netherlands were knocked out of the World Cup on penalties by Argentina on Friday.

Goals from Nahuel Molina and Lionel Messi looked to have Argentina coasting to the semi-finals, but substitute Wout Weghorst scored twice late on to force the game into extra time.

Neither team could find a winner in the additional 30 minutes, but Emiliano Martinez saved from Van Dijk and then Steven Berghuis before Lautaro Martinez fired home the deciding spot-kick to knock the Netherlands out.

Van Dijk spoke of his frustration at his team pulling themselves back into the contest, only to lose on penalties.

"I'm very disappointed that we're out of the tournament, after a very eventful game," the Liverpool star told reporters.

"We showed great character, we came back last 15 minutes, got extra time then it's penalties.

"Unfortunately we couldn't get the job done. We're going home. I'm very sad about that, but that's life. We lost on penalties, and that's the thing that is difficult. It's like a lottery.

"We practiced penalties a lot but unfortunately, he [Emiliano Martinez] made two great saves and we're out.

"I think we were confident, but you can't replicate a full stadium where 80,000 fans are whistling against you and a different goalie that you don't face in training."

Netherlands captain Van Dijk took the opening penalty of the shoot-out, only to see his low effort saved by Emiliano Martinez down to the goalkeeper's right.

When asked about his spot-kick after the match, the centre-back said: "I never took it in the Premier League, so it's quite difficult. It's never easy, you're under pressure, but I was looking forward to it, I was ready for it. 

"He saved it, fair play to him. Bad for us, bad for me. I'm very sad, but unfortunately things like this happen in life and it's about how you deal with it.

"I'll be very sad for the next period and I'll regroup, be with my family, and think about good things in life.

"These things happen unfortunately, you can miss. But it doesn't mean you feel fine, I'm very hurt and I felt like I let my guys down a bit. It's about turning that feeling into hunger for the rest of the season."

Van Dijk's defensive partner Nathan Ake echoed his skipper's sentiments on the disappointing manner of the Netherlands' exit, having done so well to get back in the game.

"We can be proud. Obviously we wanted more but it wasn't to be," Ake explained. "We stayed in the game, we tried to fight back. In the end, it's painful.

"Maybe in extra time we should've pushed on a bit more, but the legs were a little bit tired."

Ake was also asked for his thoughts on an ill-tempered game that produced 15 cards, more than any other World Cup clash in history.

"That's part of football," Ake added. "They love their country, they want to fight for their country and we have the same. It's an emotional game. Everyone wants to go through.

"In the end, the penalties decided the game and not the referee."

Emiliano Martinez slammed "useless" referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz following Argentina's dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over the Netherlands.

The goalkeeper was the hero, saving from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis as La Albiceleste prevailed 4-3 on spot-kicks after a 2-2 draw, in which they surrendered a 2-0 lead.

The performance of referee Lahoz was a huge talking point at Lusail Stadium; the Spanish official issuing 15 yellow cards during the ill-tempered affair – the most in World Cup history.

He also added 10 minutes at the end of regulation time, in which the Netherlands scored a dramatic last-gasp equaliser through Wout Weghorst to force an additional 30 minutes.

"The referee is useless. Hopefully, we don't have that referee anymore," Martinez said, before dedicating the victory to his compatriots.

"The first thing that comes to mind is emotion," he added. "I do this for 45 million people. To give people such joy is the biggest thing right now. We are in the semi-final because we have passion and heart. We are excited, as are the people."

Namesake Lautaro, who netted the decisive spot-kick, added: "On that walk to the point of the penalty, I was very calm because I trust my work. When I caught the ball, I thought about my daughter. She changed my life."

Alexis Mac Allister is expecting a "very tough" semi-final clash with Croatia, who stunned Brazil on penalties earlier in the day, while Rodrigo de Paul is embracing the moment.

"I'm excited because I work hard to make these things happen," the midfielder said. "Playing a World Cup semi-final is not an everyday occurrence.

"The idea was to come the first day and leave on the last day. We rose from a defeat at the beginning. Hopefully, these moments that are incredible keep coming. I tell people to enjoy it because this belongs to everyone."

Emiliano Martinez was the hero as Argentina edged past the Netherlands in a penalty shoot-out following an absorbing 2-2 draw.

Martinez produced saves from Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis before Lautaro Martinez slotted home the winning spot-kick as Argentina secured a place in the semi-finals against Croatia.

Lionel Messi looked to have won it for Argentina in normal time by creating Nahuel Molina's opening goal before adding another himself from the penalty spot, only for two late Wout Weghorst efforts to send the game beyond 90 minutes.

A low-key first half in which both teams were content to keep possession without being good enough to create anything with it was finally ignited by the brilliance of Messi 10 minutes before the break.

The Paris Saint-Germain star picked the ball up 40 yards from goal, took a couple of players out with a body swerve, and then slid it through to Molina who finished well from 10 yards.

The second goal for Argentina came after 73 minutes following a senseless trip by Denzel Dumfries on Marcos Acuna just inside the edge of the penalty area.

Messi, who missed from the spot against Poland earlier in the tournament, made no mistake this time, powering his effort to Andries Noppert's left.

Netherlands boss Louis van Gaal threw on Weghorst with 12 minutes to go and it proved to be a masterstroke.

Weghorst halved the deficit five minutes after his introduction, heading home Berghuis' inswinging cross, and landed another telling blow with virtually the last kick of normal time.

With everyone in the stadium expecting Teun Koopmeiners to go for goal with a free-kick 20-yards out, he instead slipped a clever ball through to Weghorst and he did the rest, sliding it past Emiliano Martinez.

A match that had seen regular flashpoints in the second half boiled over again after the final whistle with players from both sides embroiled in pushing and shoving.

Argentina pressed for a winner in extra-time but could not find a breakthrough, with Enzo Fernandez coming closest in the final minute with a 20-yard drive then crashed against the outside of the post.

Emiliano Martinez then took centre stage, saving the Netherlands' first two efforts to put Argentina in control. Enzo Fernandez put his effort wide to increase the tension but Lautaro Martinez made no mistake, firing home to spark wild celebrations.

What does it mean? Argentinian joy is unconfined

What a day to be an Argentina fan! News of Brazil's penalty shoot-out defeat to Croatia prompted scenes of delight in the stands at Lusail Stadium before their own team did what their arch-rivals could not and secured a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Argentina still look functional rather than fluent but if they can continue to keep it tight at the back, they have a genius in Messi to open games up at the other end.

Magnificent Messi stands alone

Simply superb. He might not dominate games like he did 10 years ago but he still delivers in the key moments.

He created the first with typical impish brilliance and held his nerve twice to slot away two penalties, including one in the shoot-out.

Wonderful Weghorst

After 78 minutes of achieving largely nothing in attack, Van Gaal threw on Weghorst in the hope he could deliver some late magic. The Besiktas striker delivered in spades.

A trademark glancing header was to be largely expected but his second goal certainly wasn't, a smart finish after a clever free-kick routine that caught out the Argentina defence.

What's next?

Argentina go forward to meet Croatia in Tuesday's first semi-final while the Netherlands head home.

Lionel Messi became the player with the most assists on record in World Cup knockout matches on Friday, surpassing Pele when he teed up Nahuel Molina's goal against the Netherlands.

Messi produced a trademark assist as Argentina hit the front 35 minutes into their quarter-final clash with the Oranje, slipping a fine reverse ball behind a packed defence for Molina to finish.

Since such records began in 1966, no player has matched Messi's tally of five assists in knockout ties at the tournament, with Pele managing four.

Molina's goal also gave Messi his seventh World Cup assist overall – all of which have come for different goalscorers.

Since 1966, only fellow Argentina great Diego Maradona has laid on more goals at the tournament as a whole, recording eight assists.

Lisandro Martinez was included by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni for Friday's World Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands.

Manchester United defender Martinez came on five minutes after half-time in Argentina's narrow 2-1 win over Australia in the round of 16 and retains his place at the expense of Papu Gomez with Scaloni reverting to a 3-5-2 formation.

Rodrigo De Paul also starts while Angel Di Maria is named on the bench.

Louis van Gaal also makes one change to his Netherlands starting line-up with Steven Bergwijn coming in for Davy Klaassen.

Argentina and the Netherlands clash for a sixth time at the World Cup on Friday.

They are familiar foes having been regular opponents over the years, featuring in some memorable games, a couple of forgettable ones and a hugely controversial encounter in 1978.

The winners of this quarter-final will take on Croatia or Brazil in the last four.

Here, Stats Perform looks back at the previous World Cup meetings between Argentina and the Netherlands.

Netherlands 4-0 Argentina – June 26, 1974

The 1974 World Cup saw the most one-sided clash between the pair with Rinus Michels' wonderful Netherlands side steamrolling Argentina.

Playing at their first World Cup in 36 years, the Dutch coasted through the first group stage while Argentina had to rely on a 4-1 defeat of whipping boys Haiti to advance.

That set up a second group phase meeting in which the gulf in class was quickly apparent - Johan Cruyff and Ruud Krol putting the Netherlands 2-0 up by half-time. Second-half goals from Johnny Rep and Cruyff finished the job for Michels' men, who reached the final only to lose 2-1 to West Germany.

Argentina 3-1 Netherlands (after extra time) – June 25, 1978

It was no surprise that Argentina triumphed on home soil in 1978 – a World Cup riddled with accusations of corruption and intimidation.

Following a military coup in 1976, the governing National Reorganisation Process were desperate for international legitimacy and saw the World Cup as the perfect opportunity to achieve it.

Accusations of refereeing bias accompanied their matches in the first group phase and they qualified in second behind Italy.

The second group phase was even more controversial. Needing to beat Peru by four goals in their final match to reach the final at the expense of arch-rivals Brazil, Argentina won 6-0.

In the final, they met a Netherlands side shorn of Cruyff, who had opted to remain at home, although he denied it was on political grounds.

A bad-tempered game that was delayed by Argentina being late to enter the field went into extra-time after Dick Nanninga cancelled out Mario Kempes' first-half opener.

Kempes, who finished as the tournament's leading scorer, restored Argentina's lead in the 105th minute and a third from Daniel Bertoni secured Argentina's first World Cup crown.

Netherlands 2-1 Argentina – July 4, 1998

Both teams advanced to the round of 16 by winning their groups, although they found their next assignments more difficult. The Netherlands edged past Yugoslavia 2-1 while Argentina required penalties to overcome England following a pulsating 2-2 draw.

That set up a quarter-final that will live long in the memory.

On a steamy day in Marseille, the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Jaap Stam and Edgar Davids went head to head with Gabriel Batistuta, Diego Simeone and Javier Zanetti.

Patrick Kluivert gave the Dutch a 12th-minute lead only for Claudio Lopez to equalise five minutes later. Neither side could land another blow until the dying seconds when Frank de Boer's raking pass picked out Bergkamp and, after controlling the ball instantly, he stepped inside Roberto Ayala and fired high into the net.

The Netherlands advanced to the semi-finals where they lost to Brazil on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Netherlands 0-0 Argentina – June 21, 2006

With both teams having already qualified from Group C, this was nothing more than a joust for top spot. Several first-choice players were left out by respective coaches Jose Pekerman and Marco van Basten, rested for the tests to come.

Argentina came closest in a hard-fought encounter, Juan Roman Riquelme's free-kick hitting the post after deflecting off Khalid Boulahrouz.

The South Americans topped the group and went on to beat Mexico 2-1 in extra-time in the round of 16 before bowing out to tournament hosts Germany in the quarter-finals in a penalty shoot-out.

As for the Dutch, they lost 1-0 to Portugal in the round of 16.

Netherlands 0-0 Argentina (Argentina win 4-2 on penalties) – July 9, 2014

Netherlands topped their group and accounted for Mexico and Costa Rica, albeit the latter via a penalty shoot-out, to reach the last four.

Argentina also made light work of the pool stage and advanced thanks to 1-0 wins over Switzerland (after extra-time) and Belgium to set up a clash with the Dutch.

An eagerly-awaited clash turned into a damp squib, however, with neither side showing any attacking fluency.

The Dutch had brought penalty specialist Tim Krul off the bench deep into extra-time against Costa Rica, and promptly watched him save two spot-kicks.

Against Argentina, coach Louis van Gaal had already made his three substitutions, meaning Jasper Cillessen had to stay between the sticks. He didn't save any while Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder missed to send Argentina into the final for the first time since 1990.

Jurrien Timber is not shaking at the prospect of facing Lionel Messi but says it will be a "great challenge".

Netherlands defender Timber will be tasked with trying to stop arguably the best footballer in the world on Friday when Louis van Gaal's side take on Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals.

Messi has scored three goals at Qatar 2022 and gave a virtuoso display as Argentina edged out Australia 2-1 on Saturday.

Keeping the Paris Saint-Germain star quiet will be key to the Netherlands' chances of progressing to the semi-finals but Timber is up for the challenge.

Sitting alongside fellow defender Nathan Ake, he said: "Am I getting the shakes [at the prospect of facing him]? Fortunately not.

"It’s a great challenge to play against him. Messi is a fantastic footballer, but we aren't just playing against Messi and we don't have to solve it with the two of us.

"We're going to do that with the team."

Ake added: "It's very difficult to stop him. He's probably the best player in the world but we have to be wary of several players."

Another key man in the Dutch defence is captain Virgil van Dijk and he also felt it would be foolhardy to train all their focus on Messi.

He said: "They have a good team with many players that can decide the match.

"But it's not the Netherlands against Messi, it's the Netherlands against Argentina. I have a lot of respect for Messi, who, like Cristiano Ronaldo, has been among the best in football for so long. He deserves special attention but they also have Julian Alvarez, he has a bright future ahead of him at Manchester City and Argentina. But hopefully not in two days, here in Qatar."

The main question for Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni is whether to start again with a 4-3-3 formation or switch to the 3-5-2 they finished with against Australia.

If it's the former, it may see a return to the starting line-up for Angel Di Maria, if he can prove his fitness. If Scaloni opts for a three-man defence, then Lisandro Martinez will be included at the expense of Papu Gomez.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Netherlands – Memphis Depay

Depay has been the Netherlands' creative hub, not just in Qatar, but for many months.

The Barcelona attacker has been involved in 34 goals in his last 30 appearances for Netherlands in all competitions, scoring 24 and assisting 10.

Argentina – Julian Alvarez

Having started the tournament behind Lautaro Martinez, Alvarez has emerged as the main foil for Lionel Messi.

Alvarez has scored in each of his two World Cup starts. Only three Argentina players have scored in their first three; Guillermo Stabile in 1930, Oreste Corbatta in 1958 and Hernan Crespo in 2006. If he starts and scores in this match, at 22 years and 312 days of age, he'd be the youngest to score in his first three World Cup starts since Peru's Teofilo Cubillas in 1970 (21y 94d).

PREDICTION

Argentina are a 44.2 per cent chance to emerge victorious and progress to the semi-finals, according to Stats Perform's AI computer.

The Netherlands are rated at 27.1 per cent chance with a draw coming in at 28.7 per cent.

Alexis Mac Allister's rise to prominence in the Argentina squad has surprised even himself, and the Brighton midfielder is relishing the prospect of Friday's World Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands.

Mac Allister did not play Argentina's first game in Qatar, a stunning 2-1 defeat to Saudi Arabia, but has subsequently cemented a place in Lionel Scaloni's midfield and quickly emerged as a key player.

Argentina take on the Oranje at Lusail Stadium with a place in the semi-finals at stake and Mac Allister is excited at the prospect.

"If you would have told me this [how influential he has become] before the World Cup I would have signed up for it, for sure," he said.

"It has been a fast integration but the credit for that goes to my colleagues and the technical staff."

The Netherlands will pose a serious threat to Argentina's hopes but Mac Allister was more interested in talking up his team-mates than spending too much time worrying about Louis van Gaal's men.

He added: "We know they have great players, and a very clear style, but we have our own weapons and will try to counter theirs.

"There is a great history between the sides but if we do things right everything will be fine."

The nations have met five times previously at the World Cup, with the last coming in 2014 when Argentina won a semi-final clash in Brazil on penalties after a turgid 0-0 draw.

Van Gaal was also in charge of the Dutch on that occasion, during his second spell of three at the helm, and Mac Allister was full of admiration for the 71-year-old.

"I remember watching that game with my family at home," he said. "I enjoyed it and now I am here. Being able to play these matches is a great joy.

"We know he's a top coach, world renowned, and there is a great deal of respect from everyone in our camp, including me. His teams always have variation but with a clear idea. We are up against a great team."

Lionel Messi has been Argentina's standout player so far in Qatar and stopping him could be key to the outcome.

Reports in the Netherlands suggest Van Gaal is considering employing someone to man mark the Paris Saint-Germain star but Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni claims to have seen it all before.

He said: "We are used to our opponents coming up with something different. We will see but, during the match, there are always modifications, and that’s something we are likely to do as well.

"Let's wait and see but we have played matches before when there has been man-marking on Leo."

Argentina have injury concerns over Rodrigo De Paul and Angel Di Maria but Scaloni was not giving much away regarding their availability.

"Today we have the last training session so we will see how they feel," he said. "Rodrigo trained on Wednesday so let's see what happens in today's session. Angel also trained so we will decide later today."

Louis van Gaal is not expecting a classic World Cup encounter between the Netherlands and Argentina on Friday due to the way "football has evolved".

The quarter-final at Lusail Stadium will be the sixth finals meeting between the two sides.

Those previous clashes include a dominant Netherlands win in 1974, a controversial 1978 final and Dennis Bergkamp's memorable winner at this stage in 1998.

Most recently, however, Van Gaal's Netherlands and Argentina played out a goalless draw in the semi-finals eight years ago, with La Albiceleste advancing on penalties.

Speaking at a pre-match news conference on Thursday, Van Gaal appeared to suggest a similarly tight affair was likely this time.

Explaining his "new vision", the Oranje coach had "a very attacking DNA" at Ajax in the 1990s but learnt at Barcelona "you can't always pursue that goal".

"It is much more difficult to play as offensively as Ajax used to play," Van Gaal added as he again faced criticism for the Netherlands' style of play. "If you fail to see that, it is very difficult to understand this is the way things go.

"When, in 2014, I started developing the more defensive system, people criticised me. Now, half the world is playing that kind of football. Football has evolved in that direction."

Asked how this latest episode in the Netherlands-Argentina rivalry might compare, the coach said: "I've just provided you with a wonderful answer to your question: football is no longer being played as in 1988 or 1974 or whatever.

"Then it was an open game, which it no longer is. You can have all sorts of opinions about that, but this is simply the way football has evolved.

"It is always possible to have decisive moments that you remember years afterwards, like Bergkamp's goal, so undoubtedly we will continue to remember this forever."

Memphis Depay, appearing alongside Van Gaal, is of a similar view, saying: "The game is going to be decided in moments.

"I believe we can catch a moment and go through. We obviously want to play a good game, but there's also going to be a tactical game, I think."

Van Gaal is unlikely to shift away from that "defensive system" now as the Netherlands prepare for a step up in quality.

"Argentina in my view are a top country with top football players in their squad," Van Gaal said. "The tournament actually is starting tomorrow for real for us.

"Of course, I don't want to downplay the importance of other countries we've been able to beat, but Argentina and possibly Brazil in the next round are quite different from the countries we've played in the groups and in the last 16."

Netherlands and PSV forward Cody Gakpo will "think about" a move to Manchester United should the Premier League side come calling again.

Gakpo has been one of the stars of the 2022 World Cup so far and is reportedly a January transfer target for United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among others.

The 23-year-old became only the second player in the competition's history, after Italy's Alessandro Altobelli in 1986, to open the scoring three times in the same group stage.

He fired a blank in the 3-1 win over the United States in the last 16, but the in-form attacker still boasts a return of 17 goals and eight assists in 30 games this season.

United are reputed to be the frontrunners to sign Gakpo, having already reached out in the past window, and he will consider any fresh interest in the coming weeks.

Asked about missing out on a move to the Premier League earlier this year, coinciding with PSV failing to qualify for the Champions League, Gakpo said: "That was tough.

"I've learned a lot from that. Next time I'll do it differently. I thought about Manchester United before, but when that didn't happen I didn't know anymore and started to doubt.

"Then Leeds United came and I wondered if I should go there. Now I'll wait for everything. I haven't heard from Manchester United yet, but when they come, I'll think about it."

Gakpo's goals and all-round attacking play have helped the Netherlands through to the quarter-finals in Qatar, where Argentina await in a mouth-watering tie on Friday.

The Oranje have lost just one of their nine meetings with Argentina, though the most recent of their four draws resulted in a penalty shoot-out loss in the 2014 World Cup semi-final.

Argentina have found their groove with wins over Mexico, Poland and Australia since suffering a shock opening loss to Saudi Arabia, with Lionel Messi playing a starring role.

"We shouldn't think only about him," Gakpo added in the interview with Dutch outlet NRC. "We need to win and it doesn't matter who we are facing.

"Argentina are here for one reason and so are we. We are aware we have to play better than them, and we can do that.

"But in a tournament like this, all that counts is the result. We have to find the right moments on the field to use each other's strengths."