Netherlands goalkeeper Andries Noppert has already begun the mind games ahead of his country’s World Cup 2022quarter-final clash with Argentina, confidently claiming that he can thwart Lionel Messi if it goes to penalties.
That’s exactly what happened last time these two met at the World Cup, with Argentina advancing to the 2014 final after a goalless draw in the semis.
And Noppert fancies his chances in the ultimate battle. Asked in the build-up to Friday’s match how he felt about the possibility of facing Messi in a shootout, the 28-year-old said(opens in new tab):
“I’m always ready for that, and he can also miss: we saw it at the beginning of this tournament, so he’s the same like us – a human. For sure he’s good, but for sure I can [save] the penalties.”
Messi has already taken two penalties in Qatar, scoring one (in Argentina’s shock tournament-opening 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia) and seeing the other saved (by Wojciech Szczesny in the 2-0 win over Poland).
While he’s utterly otherworldly in so many aspects, Messi’s penalty record helpfully reminds us that he is human after all: his career conversion rate from 12 yards for club and country is 78%, statistically pretty much exactly average.
Noppert – who’s set to win only his fifth international cap against Argentina, having been surprisingly chosen as number one by Louis van Gaal – is right to fancy his chances, then.
This tie is a repeat of the 1978 World Cup final – which saw hosts Argentina beat the Netherlands to claim the trophy for the first time.