Unseen footage shows Argentina's Lautaro Martinez was seen being hassled by up to four Netherlands players before he took the winning penalty to send his side through to the semi-finals last night.
The World Cup quarter-final was one of the most dramatic games of the tournament so far, with goals, big tackles, team brawls and cards brandished like no tomorrow.
Players clashed both during the match and after, whilst even the typically restrained Lionel Messi got in on the action - it was simply one of those crazy nights.
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With the two teams level after 120 minutes of action, a penalty shootout was needed to split the two sides, but eagle-eyed fans noticed something that we didn't see watching the television coverage.
Martinez was tasked with taking the final penalty for his country, as Argentina only needed to score following the Netherlands two missed penalties at the start of the shootout.
A tweet has revealed footage that Martinez was hassled by up to four Netherlands players as he stepped forward to take the final spot kick.
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As he steps forward to make the long walk following Luuk de Jong's successful fourth penalty, three Dutch players are seen surrounding the Inter Milan forward as he steps out of the centre circle.
One of the referees is there to help break it up, but they get enough time to attempt to put off the forward, where there's no doubt they will have said whatever they could to try to distract him.
It certainly falls into the line of dirty tactics, but at this point they were desperate, given that Argentina needed only to score to win.
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As he heads towards the box, De Jong is seen moving shoulder to shoulder with Martinez, where it's clear he said something towards him as well.
The last line of defence is keeper Andries Noppert who also stands over the ball for as long as possible before the referee instructed him to return to his line.
Despite all this, Martinez keeps his cool expertly to send the keeper the wrong way with a powerful penalty to secure his side's victory.
All the credit has to be given to Martinez here who had to battle with plenty of distractions in what is already an incredible tense and pressurised moment.
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However, It didn't end there. As the ball nestled in the back of the net, some of the Argentina team can be seen running towards the crestfallen Dutch side before veering off in celebration.
Then one Argentina player decides to antagonise the losing side which sees some Dutch players chase after them, which then sparks a rush from the bench as a small brawl broke out.
It truly was a rivalry from the first whistle to the last as both teams showed incredible heart and desire, even if it did bubble over following the shootout.
Featured Image Credit: RedditTopics: Football World Cup, Football, Argentina, Netherlands, Lautaro Martinez
