Netherlands’ Noppert on Messi in World Cup: ‘He’s a human’
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Andries Noppert is able to face Lionel Messi if the Argentina star takes a penalty kick in Friday’s World Cup quarterfinal match.
“He’s the same like us. He’s a human,” the Netherlands goalkeeper mentioned Wednesday.
Messi has scored 21 targets in 26 penalty kick makes an attempt for Argentina amongst his 94 worldwide targets. He transformed his spot kick to place Argentina forward within the opening 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia, then had his penalty saved by Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny as Argentina received 2-0 to succeed in the spherical of 16.
The 6-foot-8 Noppert was launched from second-division Dutch membership Dordrecht on the finish of the 2019-20 season, joined the highest league’s Go Ahead Eagles in January 2021 and moved to Heerenveen this season.
“It’s about the moment,” Noppert mentioned. “He can also miss, and we see it in the beginning of this tournament.”
The 28-year-old Noppert was in aim within the opening 2-0 win over Senegal, the second Dutch participant to make his worldwide debut at a World Cup and the primary since midfielder Dick Schoenaker in 1978.
Noppert has allowed two targets in 4 matches and saved 15 of 17 photographs on track, an 88.2% save proportion that’s second-best within the event behind Tunisia keeper Aimen Dahmen, who saved 9 of 10.
“He has an open personality. He is quite direct and outspoken,” Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal mentioned via a translator after the opener. “His quality is he can stop balls and he had to do that three times today, and he did it perfectly.”
If the Netherlands will get previous Argentina, the group would face Croatia or Brazil within the semifinals on Tuesday. The subsequent day’s semifinal match has the Morocco-Portugal winner taking part in both England or defending champion France.
Virgil van Dijk, a 31-year-old defender who was a member of the FIFPro world all-star group in 2020 and ’21, mentioned the Dutch have to organize to play not simply Messi.
“I’m very cautious, obviously, of what Argentina can bring, because they are a fantastic team. They are fantastic players,” Van Dijk mentioned. “So we have to be very good, very good in all departments. We have to prepare well and get ready for that.”
The Netherlands is the perfect soccer nation by no means to win a World Cup, shedding within the remaining in 1974, 1978 and 2010. The Dutch have been eradicated by Argentina on penalty kicks within the 2014 semifinals, when Messi transformed his nation’s first try of the shootout.
“There is hunger. There is dreams. There’s feeling that goes with when you participate in the World Cup,” Van Dijk mentioned. “You could be three games away from glory.”
