Louis van Gaal would like to turn back time. The strategist of the Dutch national team mentioned about the desire for fantastic powers when his team's fans around the world sat with their heads down. Argentina, having won the penalty shootout 4:2, advanced to the final, where they will face Brazil after the Germans crushed them 7:1. Van Gaal is left with the last step - to fight for third place. The 62-year-old football specialist admitted that he intended to use the tried and tested plan - to appoint substitute goalkeeper Tim Krul for the penalty shootout, which had received many compliments. However, Van Gaal immediately resorted to the main goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen, because he had already made all three substitutions during the match. Krul stepped onto the field in the last minute of extra time, when the Netherlands played with Costa Rica in the quarterfinals. The goalkeeper prepared for the penalty shootout repelled two shots, and the Dutch moved forward. Krul watched the shootout from the sidelines this time. "If I could have replaced Jasper, I would have, but I couldn't. I had used up the substitutions. I had to replace Daryl Janmaat during the match, as he already had a yellow card and wasn't playing as he should. I didn’t want to risk Nigel de Jong's health. I replaced Robin van Persie, as he was tired," Van Gaal said. In 2010, the Dutch experienced failure in the final, and this time they didn't even reach it, but the strategist doesn't hide his pride in the achievement in Brazil. "It was a fantastic tournament for us. No one expected us to advance from the group stage. When we beat Mexico, we realized that it would be difficult to beat us," said Van Gaal. "Argentina is a high-level team with amazing players. The penalty shootout is a matter of luck, but losing in it is the worst scenario. We were either better or at least equal."
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