Qatar Data: Messi shines again while Dumfries becomes unlikely hero
The first team to catch taxis to the airport after the Round of 16 were the Americans. They came up against the Dutch. The last time the Oranjes lost was against the Czech Republic at last year's Euros, after which Louis van Gaal joined the team and his squad hasn't been beaten for 19 games in a row.
Against the Americans it was a 3-1 win, with Memphis Depay, Daley Blind and Denzel Dumfries all on the scoresheet.
The key to advancing for the Dutch was their right side. Indeed, it was down the right wing that half of their attacking actions went.
Denzel Dumfries was especially active, and his heat map shows that he absolutely dominated the space on the right flank.
The Rotterdam native was the man of the match, adding two assists to his one goal and becoming only the third Dutch player to contribute three goals in a single game at the World Cup. Before him, only Rob Rensebrink and Johan Cruyff had completed that feat.
See the stats from Netherlands vs USA with Flashscore
Australia were ready to end Lionel Messi's dream of becoming world champion in the second match of the day, but the legendary player once again proved his incredible quality. It was Messi who opened the scoring with a superb shot in the 35th minute. Julian Alvarez then followed up his captain's goal in the second half, while the Australians were helped by an own goal from Enzo Fernandez towards the end. But Argentina made it through to the quarter-finals, where they will face the Netherlands.
The PSG striker also took responsibility for the construction of Argentina's attacks. He made 58 passes and created four scoring opportunities during the match. This map shows that he filled practically the entire half of the pitch with his passes.
But in addition, Messi joined the group of players who have already scored three times in the tournament. This group currently has six players and, with the exception of Enner Valencia, all of them can add to their tallies. It was the 1,000th game of Messi's career and his 789th goal.
