You were probably still in shock after Brazil's utter humiliation by Germany on Tuesday, but the World Cup's second semifinal kicked off Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, and it looked to be a doozy: Argentina vs. Netherlands in São Paulo for a berth in Sunday's final.
Could Lionel Messi sustain his brilliance to bring La Albiceleste one win from glory? Or would the Oranje pull through to meet Germany in the final and make it an all-European affair on Brazilian soil?
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A grinding 0-0 match went to penalties, where Argentina prevailed, 4-2, to set up a date with Germany on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro in the World Cup final.
Read on below for full updates from the match in reverse-chronological order.
ARGENTINA WINS AND MOVES ON TO FINAL
Here's how penalties went down.
Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero (GIF'd above) blocked Ron Vlaar's shot to start things off. Then Messi came up and buried his easily.
Arjen Robben took the Netherlands' second shot and skidded it into the back right corner of the net. Ezequiel Garay came up next for Argentina and drilled his into the top of the net to preserve the one-shot advantage.
Next: Wesley Sneijer, who was rejected by Romero.
Then came Sergio Aguero. He drilled his into the bottom left corner of the net. Argentina up 3-1 and the Dutch with no margin left.
Dirk Kuyt converted his penalty to them alive though.
Then Maxi Rodríguez stepped up and converted his to send Argentina into the World Cup final against Germany on Sunday with a 4-2 result on penalties.
#WorldCup reGIF: With this penalty kick goal, #ARG goes to the #WorldCup final. http://t.co/MhPQgmxZGl— MashableLIVE (@MashableLive) July 9, 2014
Hold on to your butts: To penalties we go
And that's it. Regulation time is over. Extra time is over. We go to penalties. Hold on to your butts, folks.
This is the first #WorldCup semifinal to ever finish 0-0. #NEDvsARG— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 9, 2014
So close ... and yet ... so far
Argentina's Rodrigo Palacio had a chance in the 115th minute, but his header was stopped by Dutch goalkeeper Cillessen after Palacio didn't get enough power behind it.
Time is a flat circle.
0-0 entering the second half of extra time
Fifteen minutes to play, then we go to penalties. Meanwhile, Argentina fans are desperate for something -- anything -- from their hero Messi.
Argentina fans singing Messi's name, trying to get him going. He looks tired, has his head down. Needs to get going.— Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) July 9, 2014
Arjen Robben DGAF
Everyone out there is wilting in extra time, but not Arjen Robben -- the guy doesn't get tired.
Robben has the motor of a sub who just came on 10 minutes ago.— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) July 9, 2014
He launched a boomer from outside the box in about the 98th minute, but it went straight to Argentine goalkeeper Sergio Romero who corralled the ball with no problems.
Still 0-0 in the 101st minute.
And extra time it is
Thirty more minutes to play -- then, maybe, penalty kicks as we head into extra time with the score still nil-nil after 90 minutes. Arjen Robben nearly won it for the Netherlands in the 91st minute with this try, but it wasn't meant to be.
Suffice to say, however, Germany is not quaking in its lederhosen watching its prospective opponents in Sunday's World Cup final.
Meanwhile, here's a factoid from ESPN's research department.
This is the 8th #WorldCup semifinal to reach extra time, first since Italy beat Germany 2-0 in 2006.— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) July 9, 2014
Higuaín's close call!
Gonzalo Higuaín was *thisclose* to scoring for Argentina late and possibly putting them through to the final, but his shot just missed the net. He was also called offsides on the play, which would have been quite the controversy had he scored. Still 0-0 after 85 minutes, but look on the bright side: We're probably in for a fantastic finish.
So ... yeah
Still tied at zippo after 65+ minutes in São Paulo here and a rain has started to fall. Not a whole lot going on here. We don't want say we're *bored* necessarily ... but this isn't, uh, overly exciting either.
Just one goal one would open this baby up though.
Second half underway -- who scores first?
The second half in São Paulo is back underway and after a closely fought first frame, this has the look of a match where one goal might be enough to get the win. Argentina's Ezequiel Garay wants it so bad, meanwhile, that he made this kick in the 48th minute despite being down a shoe.
That's dedication.
Mascherrano's head injury dominates buzz
Mascherrano's apparently concussion was halftime's dominant topic on TV and online. Rest assured it'll be a peg as we hear plenty more on the topic of head injuries in soccer after the match ends. That's Mascherrano laid out in the photo above. He returned to the match after receiving minimal medical attention on the sideline.
A struggle so far
At halftime, we're deadlocked at 0-0. Both sides look comfortable and are playing well overall, while the Netherlands has been able to keep Messi largely in check -- thanks in part to rough tackles like this one in the 38th minute.
A far cry from Tuesday's German goal-fest, indeed. Somewhere, they must be smiling smugly while reliving their glory agains Brazil.
Too soon for Brazil fans?
True though.
Just a friendly reminder: at this point yesterday we had already seen five goals. Let's go, #NEDvsARG— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) July 9, 2014
Ouch! Heady play
Argentina's Javier Mascherano took a nasty head bump in the 27th minute but returned to the game. That will draw criticism from people concerned about concussions in soccer -- but from a pure soccer perspective, it's good news for Argentina. Losing him on top of the already-injured Angel di Maria would be devastating.
Absolutely unacceptable. Pereira, now Mascherano. FIFA is playing with fire. Forget team physicians, time for independent medical advice.— Andrew Orsatti (@AndrewOrsatti) July 9, 2014
Argentine medical staff's position on all injuries: "Rub some dirt on it" #WorldCup2014— Kurtis Larson (@KurtLarSUN) July 9, 2014
Mascherano back on. Hard to believe he's not concussed. Wonder if docs even went through full concussion protocol.— Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) July 9, 2014
Trash, physical and figurative
If you see a bunch of orange ticker tape near the Dutch goal, you are not alone. Mashable editor, Amanda Wills, however, has got no help for you.
I am NOT cleaning up this mess. #ARG #NED pic.twitter.com/I6bM2nhJE1— Amanda Wills (@AmandaWills) July 9, 2014
Meanwhile, it appears from reports on the scene that Brazilian fans at the match are heartily rooting against their South American rivals and talking some major trash of their own.
There are no words to describe how badly Brazilians want #ARG to lose today. Messi's 1st dribble met w/boos (again). Gets tackled=loud cheer— Ives Galarcep (@SoccerByIves) July 9, 2014
Messi gets dangerous in the 15th minute
The ever-dangerous Lionel Messi had got a free kick from just outside the box in the 15th minute -- one that looked threatening but was stopped handily by Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.
And we're off
Destiny awaits one side. Heartbreak the other. Ten minutes only one thing is certain: Argentina and the Netherlands sport two of the sweetest World Cup kits by far. Just look at those things. They haven't changed much over the decades for a reason, folks.
Starting lineups are in!
Minutes away from kickoff, here are the starting XIs for both Argentina and the Netherlands. Argentina will have to make do without star midfielder Angel di Maria, while Netherlands is at pretty much full strength.
#ARG Line-Up: Romero, Garay, Zabaleta, Biglia, Perez, Higuaín, Messi, Mascherano, Demichelis, Rojo, Lavezzi #NEDARG #WorldCup #joinin— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 9, 2014
#NED Line-Up: Cillessen, Vlaar, De Vrij, Martins Indi, Blind, De Jong, Van Persie (c), Sneijder, Robben, Kuyt, Wijnaldum #NEDARG #WorldCup— FIFAWorldCup (@FIFAWorldCup) July 9, 2014
Alfredo Di Stefano to be honored before match
Di Stefano, an Argentine who became one of the game's true legends with Spanish club Real Madrid, died this on Monday at age 88. He will be honored by FIFA with a moment of silence before Wednesday's match. Argentina players will also wear black armbands in his memory.
Argentina be ready
Argentina is famously one of the world's most soccer-mad nations, and this photo of Buenos Aires supermarket gives some idea of how pumped up fans are to be one win away from the final -- of a World Cup held in their chief rival nation, no less.
#Argentina know how to do the world cup. This is what the entrance to a supermarket in Buenos Aires looks like. :) pic.twitter.com/yrHh9U3YcV— Chelache (@chelacheknits) July 9, 2014
First, a brief history lesson
These teams go back. Way back. In the 1974 World Cup, the Netherlands beat Argentina 4-0 on their way to the final. In 1978, Argentina paid the Dutch back, beating them 3-1 in the to win the World Cup at home. Then in 1998 -- the teams' most recent face-off -- the Netherlands won 2-1 in the quarterfinals after Dennis Bergkamp scored the golazo above in the 89th minute.
BONUS: World Cup 2014 Highlights (Ultimate Cat Edition)