09/07/2014 Match of the Day

Well, 24 hours on, and this country is still in a state of shock. This

evening they had to watch on as their great rivals Argentina tried

to join Germany in the final by beating the Netherlands. The

thoughts of Martin Keown and Tim Vickery to come after we go to your

commentators. How do you follow what happened in

yesterday's first semifinal? It could still get worse for the host

nation Brazil. Argentina making it to the final. And there is history

here. Dennis Bergkamp's wonderful winner in Marseille in 1998. The

Netherlands and Argentina have served up some magnificent World Cup

moments in their previous meetings. It is Lionel Messi versus Arjen

Robben. The Netherlands showing one change over Saturday's remarkable

win over Costa Rica. Four of the team got to the final

four years ago. No coincidence that they were the first four in line to

take and score penalties in the last game.

Argentina have Marcos Rojo back in the side after suspension, having

missed the match with Belgium. Sergio Aguero is reported fit, but

she sits among the substitutes. And it is all I is only an all messy --

Lionel Messi as he moves one cap better than Diego Maradona. They are

wearing black armbands in memory of Alfredo DiStefano who passed away on

Monday. Surely the greatest player never to have played at a World Cup

final. Whatever the outcome, we are going

to see a final that we have had before.

A little hasty, that clearance. Snyder was a little hasty with the

shot, as well. Argentina are yet to be behind in any game at this World

Cup finals. The only team to have won every game so far, and all by a

single goal. That is a Campbell, a free kick.

That was good stuff from Enzo Perez. This was a great ball. Put the two

Dutch defenders out of the game. That was a bit of a daft tackle on

the edge of the penalty area, always a risk. The question for the keeper

is whether he can see what is coming. That is a big wall.

Lionel Messi straight through, and well held, Cillessen. If you put the

centre-back into the wall, messy is deciding he can't go over, so he has

to go to the other side. Mascherano.

I wonder if that is one of the reasons why they have made the

change, and put Perez on to the left where he is on the ball now.

Returned to him by Messi. Perez wanted to play it back once again to

the skipper. Returned to him by Messi. Perez

wanted to play it back once again It will be a corner. It was almost a

dummy run from Messi. chance. It looked to me like a night

in teen ahead got to it first. It was Garay around the back of

Demichelis. Has he got a kick in the head from his troubles? Yes.

There is that one ball forward from Holland. And it came after

Michaelis. A corner is the correct call. -- it came off Demichelis.

A lovely ball again, de Vrij still up there. As the Dutch supporters

get to their feet, they realise it wouldn't have mattered. The Dutch

contingent went up as the referee blew his whistle. That is why. It

doesn't look great, punching it, but the first punch was excellent. You

are just never in control. In went Biglia and won it, a

fraction of a second in front of Sneijder. Vlaar did well to keep it

in. And now it is Messi through the gap. The yellow card is out.

Sneijder is into him, as well, or De Jong. Certainly stopped Messi there,

an arm across to stop him getting to top speed. He will now try to tease

the ball into the Dutch penalty area. Cillessen has stayed back, and

catches it again. The whistle has gone anyway. Was that a challenge on

the goalkeeper? it was a foul by the Manchester City

man now. He might get booked, would you believe? It is, yellow for

Demichelis. Actually quite vocal in the Argentinian media, before the

match. Robben is not a fighter. Sneijder or Robben? It will be

Sneijder, and he just sensed there was a chance to catch out Ramiro.

The referee laid the paint down, and the two players just moved to the

side. We are waiting for that one moment

of magic. There are three or four players on the field, some more

prominent than others, likely to provide it.

Zabaleta, and the flag stays down as Lavezzi gets onto the ball. Was that

good defending from Janmaat to win it? I think it was.

A throw-in for the Dutch. It was Rojo.

Just a little more animated now, Alex Sabella. Did you play against

him? I think I did. Here is Higuain. Perez. He was

chased all the way by Sneijder. There is room over on the far side

Rojo. Lavezzi's shot goes straight into

the solid body of Ron Vlaar. This is better from Argentina. A

sense of urgency. Ron Vlaar, an excellent game he has

had at the heart of the Dutch defence. He might be the best player

in this game at the moment. Which I think tells you a lot about the

game. Yes. A lovely teasing ball! And it is into the side netting.

What a ball that was from Perez, but he couldn't find the finish when

Higuain. The net load, and they thought it was in at the far end. --

it below that was misjudged by Mascherano,

tidied up by Demichelis. Blind looking forward again. Got the call

from Rojo to leave it. That was a good play by Rojo, because he is

facing the ball, so he needs to make the decision. Argentina are taking

off Enzo Perez. The first player on will be Rodrigo Palacio. 19 goals

last season. He is a livewire, as well. He is a forward, isn't it? He

plays as the lone striker for Inter Milan, more often than not. And the

other change will see the return of Sergio Aguero who has been beset by

injury problems since the turn of the year.

official! It is like a bar of soap now, it is slippery. Aguero gets up

with Ron Vlaar. A different type of striker now for Vlaar to deal with.

The header goes out. Sabella has played his cards. He has got it out

to Rojo. He has gone from distance. Silas and holds. Runs into Aguero.

-- it looks like he knew where he was,

very deliberate. It is getting quite slippy now, you never know. He did

not catch it it cleanly, did he? De Vrij, looking for Robben. It has

come to whine -- Wijnaldum. Kuyt is on to him. Zabaleta forces in back.

A good ball from Kuyt, Robben is in, brilliant defending! Behind it goes

for a corner. Was it Mascherano? It certainly was. He read the danger.

Top class. That was the chance to win it. Yes, it is Mascherano. Great

blog. Look at the eyes widen, he realised, we are going out, we are

not going to make the World Cup final, but for that last bit of

lunging. He has launched a bit far, I think something has stretched.

They knew it was a chance, look at Danny Blind. Sneijder out to

Janmaat. Wijnaldum on the edge of it. Janmaat for the return but he

went too soon. The flag was up, that will be a free kick and we are into

the last few seconds. A free kick for Sergio Romero today, but he

won't take it, because that will do it for the 90 minutes. We have extra

time in S?o Paulo in the second World Cup semifinal.

Blind made the attentions of Palacio seem as though they did not bother

him one bit. Play is going the same way for much as it did with the

closing stages of the main game. I was going to say he looks better

without the ponytail, not just aesthetically. As a player, I said

he looked different, better, quicker. Smarter. Yes. Van Persie

off, Huntelaar on. There you go, that is the answer to your question.

A few whistles, a few shakes of the head and then a few rather nervous

Dutch supporters. He has been under the weather, van Persie, he has had

a stomach problem. Huntelaar is majorly involved. Robben. Has got

through! And he very nearly found Huntelaar but Mascherano and

Zabaleta ganged up on him. Mascherano, yet again, I think,

makes the block. If it does go to penalties, Jasper Cillessen will be

in goal for them, no Tim Krul heroics for them this time.

Zabaleta. Kuyt. Really nicely done. Huntelaar left, Sneijder with Robben

and Janmaat to the right. Robben, past Biglia. He goes for gold. It

was on target. Romero had to be switched on and ready -- goes for

goal. Has that doubled the shots tally? It was just as well that

Garay left it. If he tried to get in the way, it might have taken it past

Romero. Mascherano, chased by Huntelaar, fouled by Huntelaar. Free

kick Argentina, yellow card for Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. You are not

going to change the referee's mind. Good job for him that they are wiped

after the quarterfinal stage. Yes. I thought for a moment the two

centre-backs were going to stay back, they are going up now. Garay

and Demichelis. Might be your only chance, you never know. To get up

Internet Netherlands's penalty area, especially with only seconds left --

to get up into that Netherlands's penalty area. So

end of his gloves. He actually did well. For a split second, I thought

he wasn't going to get there. Right over the top of Sergio Aguero.

Zabaleta. Palacio gets away from Blind. It was close to Aguero, not

quite close enough, and turned behind by Janmaat. Argentina will be

in a hurry to take this corner. A great ball in, Aguero can't get

there. Did de Vrij get the call to leave it? In it comes, headed clear

by Wijnaldum and that will seal it for the first period of extra time.

Flurries of excitement, mainly the Netherlands doing the attacking side

of it, but still neither side able to find a way through. I would like

to know what Jasper Cillessen is thinking. Probably "about time,

too", should have been him last time. Also, I think goalkeepers

should take penalties. We might have seen Tim Krul taking one, had we got

there. A chance maybe for Argentina, Palacio is in, the flag has stayed

down and he has made a mess of it! Aguero. Outcomes -- out comes the

Ron Vlaar. He has beaten Ron Vlaar this time. There is the chance, and

Jasper Cillessen is in the way of it. Maxi Rodr?guez at the back. I

just wonder with Rodriguez's chance, is Palacio in the way as it

is coming back towards him? A little bit, but even so, pulling the shirt,

Ron Vlaar. He has got to just strike through the ball here. A complete

misfit. Palacio's header as well was not great. The referee has the

whistle to his lips. We are going the full distance in S?o Paulo

tonight. The match has finished Netherlands 0-0 Argentina. The drama

continues, though. There are penalty shoot outs and then there are

penalty shoot outs. A place in the World Cup final at stake. It is the

Netherlands to go first. Robin van Persie is off the field, so

responsibility lies with Ron Vlaar. He didn't take one in the last shoot

out against Costa Rica. Ron Vlaar has had a terrific game for the

Dutch, he is first up from the spot, and it is saved by Romero! Isn't

that just the way? How many times have we seen that at this level? He

has had an absolutely brilliant game of football,

has had an absolutely brilliant game Ron Vlaar, and it was just a poor

penalty. Romero guessed right, he almost didn't have to move at all.

The Dutch went four out of four against Costa Rica in the

quarterfinal, zero out of one here. And Argentina have their main man,

and regular taker, going first for them, Lionel Messi, with an extra

story being the fact that it is Jasper Cillessen in goal for the

Dutch. They couldn't make the change of putting Tim Krul on in this one,

all three substitutes used. Jasper Cillessen will want to prove he has

got what it takes will stop we know that Messi has, has he now? He has.

Never in doubt. It felt like Messi almost waited for Jasper Cillessen

to make his move. Robben against Romero. Bottom right,

this time. Arjen Robben gets the Dutch in the tech column. -- tick

column. Ezequiel Garay. Centre-back, but a player who takes a mean

penalty. He once scored seven in a single season when he was playing

for Rusev Santander -- Racing Santander. I don't suppose anyone of

those carried as much pressure as this one does.

And Garay put everything he had behind the ball! You don't save

those. He smashed it into the roof of the net. The advantage is with

Argentina. 2-1 after two of the net. The advantage is with

Argentina. 2-1 kicks each. Romero has saved one. Now he has to

try to keep out Wesley Sneijder. Saved! Brilliantly saved! Went the

right way and beat it away! Sneijder took only four steps to the ball

here, I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact it was saved?

Again, it is a great height for the goalkeeper, once you dive the right

way. Sergio Aguero, on as a substitute, can put Argentina within

touching distance of the World Cup final. He is taking a long time

about teeing the ball up as he likes it. Aguero scores! It crept under

Cillessen! Cillessen dives over this, for me.

Oh yes, he will feel he should have saved it. Durch Kuyt's turn.

Oh yes, he will feel he should have saved it. Durch Kuyt's He has to

score, he must beat Romero and put this on the net -- durch Kuyt. He

does that. Argentina, one click away from the

World Cup final. There is a swagger about Maxi Rodr?guez as he

World Cup final. There is a swagger about Maxi Rodr?guez makes his way

from the halfway line to the penalty spot. The former Liverpool man can

take his country to the Maracana with this kick. Cillessen says the

ball is not on the spot. Here comes Rodriguez, here go Argentina! They

are going to Rio, they will face the might of Germany! For the third time

in World Cup history, we are getting a final between the Germans and the

Argentinians! a final between the Germans and

Blasted in by Maxi Rodr?guez! a final between the Germans and

Blasted in Alex Sabella is one game away from the greatest prize in

world football. One step too far for the men in orange. It is Argentina

who will go on to Rio. Argentina win on penalties.

gone to extra time. Germany against Argentina, Sunday night from 7pm

with us here on BBC1. And two days before, we have a programme

celebrating our own Alan Hansen, player and pundit. Except in

Scotland, where it will be half an hour later, the rest of the UK,

10.30 5pm. Ron Vlaar was probably the Man of

the Match for football. FIFA gave it to Romero for his penalty saves.

You would expect in to save it, because it is quite close to him.

And then Sneijder, this is a wonderful save. That is all about

the goalkeeper from me. He is a hero for now, you look at how well

Holland have done and for it to end in that manner, it was tough on

them, but very disappointing compared to what we saw last night.

Romero, very similar to Julius -- Cesar, hasn't played much club foot

all. He is untidy, he doesn't catch much, but he has come up Inc in the

key moments. Louis van Gaal praised to the hilt for bringing Tim Krul on

against Costa Rica. He had made his substitutions in this game, so he

went with Cillessen. Did that increase the pressure on him? He was

hurt when he wasn't put in for that shoot out, and he wanted that big

save, and it just wasn't there. I think it was a tale of three

keepers. Look at that, he nearly saves it. And Argentina go through

constantly in the end on the basis of shoot out. Cillessen is too nice.

Tell us about it. He seems like a nice boy. He just got on with the

job. And you have to delay. Would you have preferred to see him doing

a Tim Krul, walking up to Messi? It is gamesmanship, it is annoying for

the penalty taker, and it definitely worked the Tim Krul. During the 120

minutes, we were thinking of calling it the Ron Vlaar show tonight. How

does he benefit by playing in a back three as opposed to a flat back

four? Very much so. Here, look at him. He knows he has cover around

him, and he has to do it early. Decisive, but he can be, because

people are covering. When he plays that Aston Villa, he is not nearly

as good. He can get across, be that extra man in the middle. When he is

asked to go wide on occasions, he even puts his head in here. Total

commitment. A lot of talk about three at the back. Holland have

stuck with it. Look at his touch here, nice and calm, uses it

usefully. Villa might be looking at this and wondering if they can use

it. It is all good quality defending. And look at this for

commitment. But he can do it because he has people around him helping

him. Again, it is quite simple, but it is

effective, and he is very early in his decision-making in position. You

have to do the simple things well. What might they be thinking on the

streets of Rio with Argentina now in the World Cup final on their turf?

The right two possible crumbs of consolation, one that Argentina

might lose, but also, who scored the last goal in this World Cup?

Rozelle? Something to celebrate. That is a straw to clutch at. Let's

just have a look at Arjen Robben. He only touch the ball six times, but

then right towards the end of normal time, he had a fantastic chance will

stop you will want to praise Mascherano fillies defending. -- for

his defending. He just takes one touch too many, Robben. That is

beautiful defending from Mascherano. It feels so sweet when you get there

and stop someone from scoring a certain goal. He was just trying to

take another touch to change the angle. No one will be happier than

Mascherano. If he had been cut tonight, his blood would have been

Blue and Whites. Not the greatest of semifinals this

evening, but it was never going to match the excitement and shock of

last night. Brazil are being humiliated, humbled

and taken apart, and their supporters simply cannot believe

what they are seeing. We knew we could lose, but not for

this score. I have no words. The worst thing I have ever team. The

national team is a shame for us. worst thing I have ever team. The

national team is a shame for That picture is on the big screen in

the stadium, and the crowd are booing every time the camera picks

him out. Tim Vickery, because of those tears,

avid Luiz has escaped some of the criticism that have been aimed at

his manager and his other team-mates. A little bit harsh that

the crowd turned against the centre forward on the day when the

defensive unit absolutely fell to pieces, didn't it? I hate this thing

that Brazilian crowds do of picking up one player as a scapegoat. But if

you are going to pick out one, don't pick out the centre forward. Pick

out a defender. And just one other thing. Brazil will now want an

overhaul of their system. We hope so. You don't know. There was a

preview of this in the World Club Cup, but when Barcelona beat Santos

4-0 in 2011, Pep Guardiola said that his team took the ball the way his

grandparents tell him that Brazil used to. Hopefully it will go a

little deeper this time. Tim, Martin, thank you very much. We now

have our 2014 World Cup finalists, and the Brazilians will have to

watch Argentina try to win it in their own backyard. Good night.

Germany roll on again. Extraordinary. Closer-macro scores.

We are getting a final between the Germans and

This is the first example we know of of infrared communication.

Imagine if you could talk to the animals.

Zoologist Lucy Cooke is going to show us how.