After all of the thrills we had and the unpredictable results we saw in the group stage and round of 16 in this ongoing World Cup, one side of the quarter-finals bracket manages to feature an interesting collection of teams, all with a potential motivation in common.
The quartet includes the runners-up from the three most recent men’s World Cups, along with a fourth combatant with an ax to grind from the 2014 installment. If one half of the draw, Morocco aside, is increasingly marked by unpredictability, the other is indeed the bracket of redemption, between four programs looking to overcome recent (or semi-recent) near-misses.
The Netherlands
The heartbreak:
In 2010 the Netherlands made a bold run to the final, boasting global stars including winger Arjen Robben, defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Wesley Sneijder at his peak, and Robin van Persie from his Arsenal heyday.
Unfortunately, they ran into a near-unparalleled juggernaut in that final. Spain had unbelievable depth and the benefit of chemistry from a squad which had won Euro 2008 (and would win Euro 2012) and was predominantly selected from FC Barcelona and Real Madrid’s rosters.
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It was among the most ill-tempered finals in men’s World Cup history, with Howard Webb showing 14 yellow cards — with a staggering nine alone to Dutch players. Somehow, Nigel de Jong wasn’t shown red for a horrific challenge which saw him plant his cleat firmly into a standing Xabi Alonso’s sternum. Johnny Heitinga suffered the ignominy of getting sent off in extra time, after being shown a second yellow.
“I think it was good there was no VAR,” Heitinga told The Athletic this week. “Otherwise there was some more red cards.”
Less than 10 minutes after Heitinga headed to the dressing room, Andres Iniesta was able to get a shot past Maarten Stekelenburg, and the Dutch went home without the title.
The aftermath:
While manager Bert van Marwijk stuck around for the next cycle, he was swiftly dismissed following his side’s three defeats in as many group matches at Euro 2012. He was succeeded by Louis van Gaal, who had also briefly held the post from 2000-01. The key players from 2010 returned for the 2014 World Cup campaign, supplemented by up-and-comers including Memphis Depay, Stefan de Vrij and Georginio Wijnaldum. This time, their run ended in the semi-finals against Lionel Messi in his prime, settling for a win in the third-place match over hosts Brazil.
As Van Persie and Robben aged, the Dutch lost their way. They failed to qualify for both Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, returning to major tournament action for Euro 2020 but falling in its round of 16.
The holdovers:
While the entirety of that 2010 runners-up squad is out of the picture 12 and a half years on, two of the 2014 bronze medallists are on this current roster in key roles: Depay, 28, and 32-year-old Daley Blind. Van Gaal himself has returned for a third term at the helm, despite undergoing prostate cancer treatment in April.
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What they’re saying:
“In 2014 we finished third with a squad I would say was of lesser quality. With this group, I would expect more.” – Louis van Gaal
Argentina
The heartbreak:
As alluded to in the “aftermath” section on the Netherlands, Messi was in blistering form heading into the 2014 World Cup. After winning the Ballon d’Or every year from 2009-12, he was in the midst of the Messidependencia era of Barcelona as they adjusted to life without coach Pep Guardiola.
Similarly, Argentina funnelled absolutely everything through their icon as play kicked off in Brazil that summer. His four goals in the group stage helped harvest all nine points and set them on a run to the final. Sure enough, the knockouts served as a crash-course to pit the world’s best player against Germany, the world’s best team. After a first-half goal was whistled offside and Gonzalo Higuain missed a gifted one-on-one with Manuel Neuer, it was Mario Gotze who joined the rank of World Cup match-winning scorers rather than Messi.
The aftermath:
That World Cup eight years ago was the first in a series of major tournament letdowns for Messi, followed by losses to Chile in successive Copa America finals, after which he briefly retired from Argentina duty before a coaching change and nationwide demonstrations convinced him to return for the 2018 World Cup cycle.
It was hardly a storybook comeback story, as Argentina labored to get out of a middling group before falling to title-bound France in the round of 16. After finishing third in the 2019 Copa America, it seemed as if Argentina would never win a major tournament in the Messi era. That all changed at last year’s Copa America, of course, as Angel Di María stepped up with the final’s lone goal to give Argentina a famous 1-0 win over tournament host Brazil in Rio de Janeiro.
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The holdovers:
Messi is playing in Qatar 2022, as you’ve likely heard by now. But he’s one of just two holdovers from Brazil 2014, joined as usual by Di Maria. Nicolas Otamendi wasn’t involved then, while the two strikers younger than Messi on that runners-up roster (Higuain and Sergio Aguero) have both retired over the past year.
What they’re saying:
“It’s a pity given all the chances we had in that game. We had the better chances and, well… we’ll regret the chances we had but couldn’t score for the rest of our lives.” – Lionel Messi on the 2014 World Cup final.
Croatia
The heartbreak:
Is it fair to call a surprise run to a final and an ensuing defeat “heartbreak”? It’s up for debate with Croatia, which finished third in 1998 but had exited in the group stage in all three subsequent World Cup appearances. A round of 16 exit from Euro 2016 gave little reason for further optimism, even with Luka Modric in otherworldly form with Real Madrid and a pair of Ivans (Rakitic and Perisic) capably leading the transition into the final third. After appointing head coach Zlatko Dalic (without a contract unless they qualified for the 32-team field), the players put aside a cycle’s worth of animosity to reach newfound cohesion — and, ultimately, secure a place in Russia.
They hardly found it easy to book a date with France in the final. Croatia needed all 120 minutes and penalties to get past both Denmark and Russia in the first two knockout rounds before finally taking care of the result in extra time against England, having fallen behind, in the semifinal. Perhaps due to their series of advancements on the finest of margins, France entered the final as a decided favorite. Les Bleus ultimately toppled the tournament dark horse by a 4-2 margin.
The aftermath:
It wasn’t always convincing, but their silver-medal showing in Russia changed global perceptions of Croatia. Dalic was awarded an extension through 2022, and he’s given no reason to abdicate his post. It was surprising, then, to see them fall in the round of 16 for a second consecutive Euros last summer. They navigated a tricky group in Qatar, finishing second behind fellow quarterfinalist Morocco as Belgium went home early.
The holdovers:
Modric is one of the sport’s truly ageless wonders, still an essential starter for the 2021-22 Champions League-winning Real Madrid side. While he’s given second-billing status with Croatia, Ivan Perisic is one of just four players to score in the three most recent men’s World Cups, alongside Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xherdan Shaqiri. In total, nine players from the 2018 side are back for redemption in Qatar, with Andrej Kramaric especially stepping up for the now-retired Mario Mandzukic (who is with the team as an assistant coach).
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What they’re saying:
“Something special was taking place. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, had come Dalic. Now everything was falling into place. People believed in us once again.” – Luka Modric.
Brazil
The heartbreak:
While Croatia (and, to a lesser extent, the 2010 Dutch side) are a stretch to give the “heartbroken” descriptor, there’s no question that applies to Brazil in 2014.
Heading into their first World Cup on home soil since finishing second in 1950, all focus was on righting that generations-old wrong. Brazil won Group A and bested Chile in a round of 16 shootout, setting up another CONMEBOL showdown with Colombia in the quarterfinal. A 2-1 win hardly felt satisfying as the final whistle blew — Colombia had taken the heart out of Brazil as Neymar suffered a tournament-ending injury.
An emotional team faced its date with Germany in the semifinal, and what was supposed to be a de facto title game quickly devolved into chaos, gifting one of the most iconic scorelines in World Cup history and, indeed, the history of organized sports: 7-1.
You’ve surely seen the images, with men, women and children all equally likely to grace the broadcast with tears smearing their impeccably painted green-and-yellow faces. What was supposed to be the party of a lifetime had devolved into a nightmare, an even greater humbling than when Uruguay executed its “Maracanã Smash” to win in 1950.
The aftermath:
That Germany humiliation kicked off a rare down spell for Brazil, which exited in the Copa America quarterfinal in 2015 before failing to even advance from a group with Ecuador, Peru and Haiti in the 2016 Copa America Centenario, spelling the end for coach Dunga. With Tite appointed as manager afterward, Brazil fell in the quarterfinal to Belgium in the 2018 World Cup.
The slump was finally busted as Brazil won the 2019 Copa America on home soil at the Maracana in Rio, around 300 miles south of the site of their 2014 house of horrors in Belo Horizonte. While they lost the same fixture in the same stadium to Argentina last year, they finished atop CONMEBOL qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
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The holdovers:
Neymar is arguably in even better form now than he was enjoying in 2014. He’s one of three returning members from that squad, joined by defenders Dani Alves and Thiago Silva (though Alves’ role at this point is as a reserve).
What they’re saying:
“Now he’s in a very good point, a good moment for him to show the real quality and the leadership, because he has big, big character and can be a leader that Brazil expects. We’re in a moment that’s going to be very interesting because Messi is in his best moment, Neymar is in his best moment and they are two kings.” – Neymar’s former Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Read more: Argentina eliminated the Netherlands on penalties to advance to the semi-finals
(Top photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images)
