It was the last minute of placement, Teun Koopmeiners placed the ball close to the penalty area, but did not shoot from an advantageous position. He found Weghorst with a pass and shocked all of Argentina with a spin on the ground.
Weghorst came on the field only in the 78th minute with the score 0:2, but with two goals he sent the quarterfinal duel into overtime. “An unreal drama at the end of the match. I almost lost my voice. Louis van Gaal is known as someone who plays total football. He won his team back by inserting two tall strikers up front,” praised the former Dutch coach Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.
“A fantastic endgame. Amazing late direct free kick. It was a comeback,” added Premier League all-time top scorer Alan Shearer.
It was the first time that the 2m tall Weghorst had not scored in a similar event. Videos of October 2020 began to circulate on social media, when in the shirt of German Wolfsburg against Arminia Bielefeld.
A native of the city of Borne, who currently plays for Turkish Besiktas, then similarly waited for a teammate’s pass near the wall and scored.
Ultimately, imaginative action did not lead to progress. Argentina, just like in the 2014 semi-final, beat their opponent on penalties and Messi can still live the dream of the world title. The South Americans await the Croatians in the battle for the finals, who also eliminated Brazil on penalties.
