Soccer-Van Gaal hails effort of players and bemoans penalty misses

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Quarter Final - Netherlands v Argentina - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 10, 2022 Netherlands' Denzel Dumfries with coach Louis van Gaal and teammates after the match as Netherlands are eliminated from the World Cup REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

LUSAIL, Qatar (Reuters) - Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal hailed the efforts of his squad in fighting back from two goals down to force their World Cup quarter-final against Argentina into a penalty shootout even though their ultimate exit proved to be painful.

The Dutch staged a dramatic comeback with two late goals to level their match 2-2 after the 90 minutes and take the last-eight encounter at the Lusail Stadium into extra time, where the scoreline stayed the same until the final whistle.