Argentina and the Netherlands played out an iconic 120 minutes of football in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals. The two powerhouses locked horns on Sunday in what turned out to be a controversial, heated, and exciting showdown.
The teams clashed both on and off the pitch as La Albiceleste beat the European heavyweights on penalties after throwing away a 2-0 lead in normal time. And to no one's surprise, Nicolas Otamendi was one of several players involved in the heated exchanges.
In fact, the Benfica man took center stage in a now iconic picture as the 34-year-old center-back was pictured taunting the Dutch players immediately after Lautaro Martinez scored the decisive spot kick to send the South Americans through to the semifinals.
The former Man City man cupped his ears at Van Dijk and Co. as he ran over to Martinez, sparking polarizing reactions on social media. On one hand, several fans enjoyed this moment from the Argentine, who is having a tremendous tournament in Qatar. However, others viewed this as disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behavior given that Van Gaal's men were left heartbroken and in tears.
The altercations continued after the final whistle, with Lionel Messi and Emiliano Martinez both confronting the Oranje dugout and slamming the referee during their post-match interviews, showing how heated this encounter was.
However, Otamendi has pushed back at the criticism by revealing why he taunted the Dutch after their penalty shootout victory. Speaking after the game, the defender revealed that the opposition players were trying to intimidate the Argentines who stepped up for the spot kicks.
"I celebrated in face because there was a one Netherlands player, who at every penalty kick we had, was coming and saying things to one of our players," Otamendi said, as per the Daily Mail.
"The picture was taken out of context, and we celebrated in response to it."
And footages have surfaced on social media showing a number of Dutch players, namely Denzel Dumfries, confronting Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, Argentina's final two penalty takers, in an attempt to get into their heads. Fortunately for the Copa America champions, Van Gaal's men were unsuccessful and Scaloni's side are now preparing for a showdown with Croatia in the penultimate round.
However, a record number of yellow cards were shown in that game and as a result, Marcos Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel are both suspended for the semifinals.
