Netherlands vs. Argentina: Previous World Cup meetings

This evening, the Netherlands and Argentina will meet in Sao Paulo for the right to advance through to Sunday's World Cup final, where Germany will be the opponents.

It will be the fifth occasion in which these two nations have met in football's biggest competition, with the Dutch leading 2-1 overall and one draw.

Here, ahead of the fixture inside the Arena Corinthians, Sports Mole has looked back on each of their four World Cup clashes.

1. Argentina 0-4 Netherlands, 1974 Quite how the Dutch didn't win the World Cup throughout the 1970s remains a mystery, particularly when reflecting upon the thrashing of the Argentines in Gelsenkirchen. Talisman Johan Cruyff opened and completed the scoring, either side of strikes from defender Ruud Krol and Johnny Rep. It was the opening match of the second group phase and a result that helped Holland to finish top, while their South American counterparts registered just one point thanks to a draw against the East Germans.

2. Argentina 3-1 Netherlands, 1978 Even without the retired Cruyff, the Netherlands reached their second successive World Cup final in Argentina '78 - four years earlier they had been defeated 2-1 at the last hurdle by West Germany. Once again, though, the Dutch would be the bridesmaid. In front of a fanatical home support, Mario Kempes broke the deadlock in the 37th minute, only for Dick Nanninga to force extra time late on. Kempes intervened for a second time with 104 minutes played to put his side 2-1 up and seal the Golden Boot in the process, before Daniel Bertoni added some gloss to the result.

3. Argentina 1-2 Netherlands, 1998 During the 1997-98 Premier League season, Dennis Bergkamp scored one of that campaign's most memorable goals for Arsenal against Leicester City. At that summer's World Cup, in the closing stages of the quarter-final with Argentina, the Dutchman produced a carbon copy, although many argue that it was even better than his effort at Filbert Street. He cushioned Frank de Boer's raking 70-yard pass with one touch and then he skipped inside Roberto Ayala. That left him with just Carlos Roa to beat, which he did with a composed finish with the outside of his right boot. Earlier in the contest, Claudio Lopez had cancelled out Patrick Kluivert's opener.

4. Netherlands 0-0 Argentina, 2006 With both sides locked on six points and already guaranteed of their places in the last 16, there was less pressure in this encounter compared to their three previous meetings. Nevertheless, topping the group was important and with their superior goal difference, Argentina knew that a draw was all that they required to hold on to the summit. That's exactly what they got from a largely uninspiring evening in Frankfurt.