Netherlands team members celebrate after defeating Costa Rica during the penalty shootout after extra time in their quarterfinal football match on Saturday, July 5. 
Netherlands' substitute goalkeeper Tim Krul, left, celebrates with defender Dirk Kuyt after the victory. Krul was the hero after saving two penalties to secure a 4-3 win in Salvador, Brazil. 
Goalkeeper Tim Krul of the Netherlands celebrates after making a save on a penalty kick by Michael Umana of Costa Rica. 
Netherlands goalkeeper Tim Krul celebrates after making a save on a kick from Costa Rica forward and captain Bryan Ruiz, right, during the penalty shootout. 
Tim Krul of the Netherlands knocks away a penalty kick by Michael Umana of Costa Rica. 
Costa Rica players line up for a penalty shootout after extra time ended with no score. 
Goalkeeper Tim Krul of the Netherlands saves the penalty shot of Bryan Ruiz of Costa Rica. 
Netherlands forward and captain Robin van Persie celebrates after scoring past Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas. 
Costa Rica defender Cristian Gamboa, left, vies with Netherlands' defender Daley Blind. 
Netherlands forward Arjen Robben, second right, shoots a free kick toward Costa Rica's wall. 
Costa Rica defender Johnny Acosta (front) vies with Netherlands' forward Dirk Kuyt. 
Netherlands forward Dirk Kuyt, second right, heads the ball marked by Costa Rica's midfielder Celso Borges. 
Arjen Robben of the Netherlands and Johnny Acosta of Costa Rica lie on the pitch after a collision. 
Costa Rica defender Cristian Gamboa is taken out on a stretcher after an injury. 
Players of the Netherlands and Costa Rica compete for the ball. 
Costa Rica's Johnny Acosta, left, tries to kick the ball. 
Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas jumps to make a save. 
Cristian Gamboa of Costa Rica and Arjen Robben of the Netherlands compete for the ball. 
Netherlands forward and captain Robin van Persie, left, fails to score past Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas. 
Costa Rica forward Joel Campbell, left, vies with Netherlands defender Daley Blind. 
Johnny Acosta of Costa Rica attempts a shot on goal against goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and Ron Vlaar of the Netherlands. 
Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas dives for the ball. 
Netherlands' defender Ron Vlaar, left, vies with Costa Rica's forward and captain Bryan Ruiz. 
Costa Rica defender Junior Diaz, left, and Netherlands forward Jeremain Lens vie for the ball. 
Dutch supporters cheer during the match. 
Costa Rica fans cheer prior to the game. 
Argentina forward and captain Lionel Messi, center, celebrates with teammates after winning their quarterfinal match against Belgium on July 5. 
Daniel Van Buyten, left, and Kevin De Bruyne of Belgium acknowledge the fans after their loss 1-0 loss to Argentina. 
Martin Demichelis, left, Javier Mascherano, Pablo Zabaleta and Enzo Perez of Argentina celebrate their win. 
Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku walks away while Argentina celebrates. 
Javier Mascherano of Argentina exults. 
Argentina's defender Ezequiel Garay, left, vies with Belgium's forward Romelu Lukaku. 
Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero, left, makes a save. 
Belgium defender and captain Vincent Kompany, left, and Belgium's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois eye the ball. 
Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini heads the ball. 
Messi attempts a free kick. 
Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne takes a corner. 
Messi falls amid Belgium players. 
Angel di Maria of Argentina lies on the pitch. 
Argentina's Messi challenges Axel Witsel of Belgium. 
Argentina midfielder Angel di Maria kicks the ball. 
Argentina forward Gonzalo Higuain, right, celebrates with di Maria, top, and Messi, left, after scoring. 
Higuain scores for Argentina. 
Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano, left, vies with Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne. 
Argentina fans cheer during the match against Belgium at the Mané Garrincha National Stadium. 
Fans hold up cutouts of Brazilian legend Pele prior to the match between Argentina and Belgium. 
Young fans of both Argentina and Belgium cheer prior to the match. 
Belgium fans hold up a huge flag before the match against Argentina. 
- Argentina defeats Belgium to reach World Cup semifinals
- Gonzalo Higuain scores only goal of game early in first half
- La Albiceleste will next face either Costa Rica or the Netherlands
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(CNN) -- If anyone wondered about Argentina's World Cup-winning credentials, surely there can be little doubt now.
Not because of the convincing nature of the team's football thus far mind you -- far from it.
But after a solitary goal from Gonzalo Higuain was enough to overcome Belgium in Brasilia on Saturday, "La Albiceleste" are only one game away from the final of this gripping World Cup.
The win also marked the first time Argentina has reached a World Cup semifinal since 1990, when -- after overcoming host nation Italy on penalties -- it was eventually defeated by West Germany in a bad-tempered final.
That came four years after Diego Maradona inspired the country's second title success in football's showpiece event, in Mexico, following victory on home soil in 1978.
"After 24 years this is a good tribute to this squad -- they will go down in history as one of the best four teams in the world and we will see if they can go one step more," coach Alejandro Sabella told reporters.
While Brazil will be without injured star striker Neymar for Tuesday's semifinal against Germany -- and the rest of the tournament if the host goes any further -- the Argentines have their own fitness concerns after trumping a Belgian team tipped as a pre-tournament dark horse.
For the first time since 1990, Argentina will contest a World Cup semifinal: http://t.co/e77GOx1aVj #CNNWorldCup pic.twitter.com/V84ezvzfc7
â€" CNN Football Club (@CNNFC) July 5, 2014Angel Di Maria, who scored Argentina's winning goal in the previous round, is a doubt for Wednesday's match against the Netherlands -- which beat Costa Rica in a penalty shootout later Saturday -- after coming off with a thigh injury in the first half.
Nevertheless, they will be glad to be through.
Alejandro Sabella's team had struggled in the group stage, requiring a dramatic late strike from Lionel Messi to overcome unfancied Iran and only narrowly defeating Nigeria and Bosnia.
An uncomfortable extra-time victory over Switzerland in the round of 16 also hardly inspired confidence.
Yet such worries seem pointless when a team has the likes of Messi in its ranks.
The Barcelona star has finally announced his arrival on the World Cup stage in Brazil after a disappointing 2010 tournament in South Africa and only a few substitute appearances as a 17-year-old in Germany four years prior.
Messi had scored four goals in four games coming in to this encounter, as well as providing a fantastic dribbling assist for di Maria to secure victory over Switzerland.
"I felt he played a wonderful match," Sabella said. "It's not only scoring goals, it's having possession, taking out three opponents, and every move he makes is a sign of hope for us and endangers our opponents.
"That a player like Messi almost never loses the ball is water in the desert -- he gives us that water in the desert.
"Today when the terrain was dry he gave us that breath of fresh air every time he had the ball."
But Belgium has talent of its own, a golden generation even.
With genuinely top-class players such as Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Vincent Kompany in the squad, this was a quality of opposition Argentina had yet to face this tournament.
Perhaps aware of this, the South Americans looked sharp from the off, backed by a considerable support in the stands, bouncing and singing in the early afternoon sun.
A glorious Messi pass early on almost gave the fans something more to shout about, but Ezequiel Lavezzi's cross couldn't find Higuain in the center.
However, the Napoli striker would not be denied shortly after.
Kompany lost possession as he stepped out of defense and when di Maria's deflected pass found Higuain, he swiveled to strike the ball in to the corner of Courtois' net from just outside the penalty area.
It was a fine instinctive finish from a man who had failed to find the net all tournament before this game, and it drew him level with Messi on five World Cup career goals.
Belgium sought a quick response.
Kevin de Bruyne -- who netted the opening goal against the U.S. in the last 16 -- fired a shot high and wide from roughly 30 yards out after 13 minutes and once more shortly after which Sergio Romero did well to push away in the Argentina goal.
Wave of Argentina v Belgium. Typical pattern in last 15 mins of team searching for equaliser: http://t.co/HnJi2kUz86 pic.twitter.com/BbURqDc3KC
â€" Infostrada Sports (@InfostradaLive) July 5, 2014Argentina suffered a blow after 33 minutes as di Maria went down clutching his thigh. The Real Madrid winger looked in considerable pain as he left the field but was able to take a place alongside his teammates on the bench to watch the remainder of the game.
Messi then went close from a free-kick just before halftime after the ever-unsubtle Marouane Fellaini had made four clear attempts to bring down the illusive striker.
The second half began much like the first had ended, with Argentina carving out the better chances.
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Cannavaro: Italy's World Cup hero Higuain nutmegged Kompany to put himself through on Courtois' goal but just when it looked like he was about to double the Argentine advantage, the crossbar came to the rescue of the despairing goalkeeper.
Again Belgium looked to respond, bringing on Romelu Lukaku for the ineffective Divock Origi -- who in the group stage was the first teenager to score at a World Cup since Messi -- and Dries Mertens for Kevin Mirallas.
With the Argentina defense being organized by the experienced pair of Martin Demichelis and Ezequiel Garay, the Belgians' best chance of success looked like it would come from a set-piece rather than open play.
Fellaini made a nuisance of himself on numerous occasions, pushing, bullying and harassing as defenders at corners and free-kicks.
However an inability to follow the offside rule repeatedly frustrated the Red Devils.
Belgium hadn't scored a goal earlier than the 70th minute in this tournament but as the game progressed, coach Marc Wilmots became ever more desperate on the sidelines.
"We were not impressed by the Argentinians, they were just an ordinary team," said the former Belgium international.
"They can distort the rhythm, they take 30 seconds to take a throw-in and the referee doesn't do anything. If I played that way I would have been destroyed by the Belgium press."
Seeking a lifeline, Wilmots pushed veteran defender Daniel van Buyten -- likely playing his last game before retirement -- forward to operate as an auxiliary striker.
But it was Argentina which came closest to scoring again, though Messi was unable to add to his 2014 tournament tally of four as the onrushing figure of Courtois blocked his dinked strike on the counter attack.
Belgium scrambled forward one final time but when Axel Witzel's ambitious long range effort flew over, Argentina could celebrate.
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