Louis van Gaal has called on the Netherlands to replicate their 2014 World Cup semi-final performance to contain Lionel Messi in Friday s quarter-final clash with Argentina.
Van Gaal s side reached the last eight with a 3-1 win over the United States on Saturday, while Argentina joined them by beating Australia 2-1 as Messi scored his first World Cup knockout goal.
Friday s match will represent the sixth World Cup meeting between the two teams. Only two fixtures have been played more often at the tournament – Brazil versus Sweden and Argentina versus Germany (both seven).
Argentina triumphed on penalties after the last such fixture finished goalless in 2014 s semi-finals, when Van Gaal was in the second of his three spells with the Oranje, and he says they must…