Why did the Argentine defender mock the Dutch team?
"There was a Dutch player who came out to provoke us, before every penalty we were going to take," Otamendi was quoted as saying by La Republica after the match at Lusail, when asked about the victory celebration towards the goal. about Dutch players.
In the penalty shootout, Dumfries did not kick any of the Dutch's five innings, but repeatedly stepped out of the center circle and provoked the Argentinian player. The 26-year-old Dutch defender told Enzo Fernandez something as the Argentina midfielder was approaching the penalty spot, prompting Angel Di Maria to intervene. After that, Dumfries continued to provoke Lautaro Martinez when the Argentine striker was about to kick the decisive leg, and received a yellow card.
After striker Martinez successfully made the final turn to seal a 4-3 victory, the Argentine players ran towards goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to celebrate his ticket to the semi-finals, while the Dutch player collapsed on the field. At this time, Otamendi deliberately turned his face to the Dutch players and then cupped his hands to his ears. Leandro Paredes, Gonzalo Montiel, Angel Di Maria, German Pezzella and Alexis Mac Allister also turned their eyes on their opponents.
According to talkSPORT, after the match ended, Dumfries was angry and "back and forth" with the Argentine players. He even tried to attack a member of the South American team's coaching staff, and was given a second yellow card by referee Antonio Mateu. Similarly, substitute substitute Noa Lang was also warned for excessive controversies.
The victory celebration of Otamendi and his teammates created mixed reactions. "So childish. What is he thinking?", former England striker Chris Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live. Meanwhile, one Twitter account commented: "Isn't this shameful? Football is about respecting opponents, referees and fans. Argentina shows they don't have that spirit." .
However, Otamendi said that the photo was taken out of context, and his actions at that time were only aimed at the extremist players on the Dutch side.
"We are 26 soldiers, warriors. We have to continue this way," Otamendi said of the victory, adding that Argentina was prepared to compete with all opponents. He also considers the victory over the Netherlands a collective merit. "We know it's very difficult. We are going step by step and trying our best," said the only full-back more than 120 minutes before the Netherlands.
This match, the players of the two teams repeatedly fouled, even clashed with each other, causing the referee to show 18 yellow cards - a record in a match in a World Cup. In it, there are two cards for members of the Argentina coaching staff, assistant Walter Samuel and coach Lionel Scaloni, because of a reaction error.
The most tense situation took place in the 88th minute, when Leandro Paredes fouled Nathan Ake and then shot the ball straight into the Dutch technical area. Captain Virgil van Dijk immediately rushed to the chest, causing Paredes to fall to the field, and players from both teams rushed into a dispute.
Argentina will play the 2022 World Cup semi-final with Croatia at Lusail Stadium on the evening of December 13, without the full-back pair of full-backs Gonzalo Montiel and Carlos Acuna because they have received two yellow cards.
