Van Dijk Argentina World Cup 2022Getty

WATCH: Van Dijk FLATTENS him! Argentina star Paredes nearly starts a riot by booting ball into Netherlands bench during World Cup quarter-final

  • Paredes slides through marauding Ake
  • Smashes ball into the Dutch bench
  • Van Dijk charges forward and sends him tumbling

WHAT HAPPENED? With the score at 2-1, the last thing Argentina wanted to do was to ignite the spark in the Dutch players. However, that's exactly what Paredes did as he hammered a dead ball directly into the Netherlands bench, sparking handbags that involved most players and staff.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The Dutch kept their heads and found an unlikely equaliser via an innovative free-kick that was finished off by Wout Weghorst, a minute shy of the 100-minute mark in normal time. The teams weren't done there though as they clashed again after the final whistle with Argentina unhappy that the referee awarded the free-kick that led to the equaliser.

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WHAT NEXT FOR ARGENTINA AND THE NETHERLANDS? Extra-time is needed to separate the two after Argentina failed to hold their two-goal lead. The winner of their feisty quarter-final tie will go into face Croatia after their win over Brazil earlier in the day.

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