Imagine you are entering potentially the last 12 minutes of a 36-year-long career. Imagine that after all the stresses, all the anxieties, all the late nights and the time spent away from home, it looks like this is it. That’s all she wrote.

Imagine that you have an idea, though. Something that could stretch those 36 years a few days further, to put you within a few more days of a shot at what would be the greatest achievement of that long and difficult career. Imagine all of that and then imagine saying: “Wout, get your bib off.”

“Football isn’t played like it was in 1998 anymore,” Louis van Gaal had insisted before meeting Argentina, during his latest face-off with Dutch journalists who have been less than enamoured with the Netherlands’ style of play during his third stint in charge. He’s right, it’s not. Yet as midnight approached in Lusail and the clock on the scoreboards ticked into triple figures, it felt a lot like 1974.

It speaks to Gareth Southgate’s confidence in this England team that he had decided his formation and starting XI for the France match on Monday morning. While so many others around the squad were worrying about Kylian Mbappe, and wondering whether Southgate would agonise over a big choice on how to approach him, the manager had already long made up his mind.

That came after a 9am presentation on France from FA head of coaching Steve Dittmer that just confirmed what the England manager was already thinking. Southgate is now so confident in his team that he doesn’t feel they need to compromise for a player like Mbappe in the way he used to.

That has only helped to focus the work of the week. The key for the coaches since then, and especially in the day before the game, has been to distil all crucial points to messages the players can easily digest.

Gareth Southgate has bullishly defended his tactical approach, saying his job is “to win football matches” and “not just have a philosophy”.

The debate around England’s attack has formed one of the main remaining criticisms of the manager, with Southgate commonly perceived as lacking a big idea compared to other major nations.

In what could be construed as a pointed line about Spain and Germany’s World Cup campaigns though, Southgate said: “If you’re going home at the start of the tournament then the philosophy doesn’t wash”.

Lionel Messi has called on Fifa to drop referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz after the World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and Netherlands.

The Albiceleste prevailed 4-3 on penalties, but the Spanish referee caused controversy in the way he officiated the match.

Lahoz handed out 16 yellow cards over the course of the tie as emotions spilled over, including Messi.

5/6 vs 1/4 - Argentina have won the most penalty shootouts of any side in World Cup history (5 wins from 6), while only Spain (4) have lost more penalty shootouts at the World Cup than Netherlands (1 win from 4).

Wout Weghorst has become the first ever substitute to score twice in a World Cup match for Netherlands.

His equaliser was timed at 100:30 - the latest second half goal in a World Cup knockout stage game since Opta have exact goal times (from 1966).

The 2022 World Cup is reaching the business end as 32 nations began on 20 November aiming to lift the Jules Rimet trophy in Doha on 18 December.

Despite the many off-field issues around the tournament in Qatar, the group stage threw up plenty of thrills and spills, with Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia going down as one of the greatest shocks of any World Cup in history. Japan also stunned Germany, while Spain and England racked up goals in statement opening wins.

There are only a handful of teams left in Qatar as the semi-final come into view before the final itself on Sunday December 18.

Here are the teams who have qualified for the semi-finals:

As Emiliano Martinez’s spell persists, and Lionel Messi continues to conjure magic, Louis van Gaal’s charm at last wears off. But only just. Van Gaal enthrallingly and admirably pushed his Netherlands team and Argentina to the very limit, coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and so close to the most fitting of victories.

It wasn’t to be, but only after a frankly unbelievable amount of drama and because Martinez remains the master at penalty kicks. The goalkeeper again ended up Argentina’s true hero, even on a night when Messi scored and produced one of his most inspired World Cup moments.

That means this may be the last match of Van Gaal’s career, but what a game. Qatar’s sportswashing now has an epic to go with so many great moments.

It also means it gets more of Messi. He may yet have his most beautiful ending, but only after something that became as ugly as it did farcically entertaining. Argentina had to fight for it. They had to scrap for it.