The Netherlands barely survived a massive upset and advanced to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup for the second-straight tournament, defeating Costa Rica 4-3 in a penalty shootout after the match ended scoreless on Saturday in the teams’ quarter-final matchup.
Dutch backup keeper Tim Krul was the hero. He was subbed in for the shootout, and stopped Bryan Ruiz and Michael Umaña to win the day for the Netherlands.
The Netherlands did everything possible but score in normal time, directing 20 attempts on goal and hitting three posts, as Costa Rica sat back and defended for the entire match, managing only one shot of its own.
The Dutch will play Argentina in the semifinal on Wednesday.