Argentina scrape into fifth final

Arjen Robben insists Argentina "will not stand a chance" of winning the World Cup after the Netherlands were knocked out in the semi-finals on penalties.

They beat Robben's side 4-2 in the shootout after 120 goalless minutes and face Germany in the final on Sunday while Louis van Gaal's Dutch team meet Brazil in the third-place play-off on Saturday.

Robben, who plays his club football for German side Bayern Munich and risked appearing to be a sore loser, was unequivocal when asked who he thought would triumph at the Maracana in Sunday's final.

"Germany's going to win the World Cup. No doubt about that. The Argentines will not stand a chance," kicker quoted him as saying.

Reflecting on the loss to Argentina, he said: "Penalties are not only a game of pure chance - we've shown that against Costa Rica. We did a very good job there, and were really successful.

"It didn't work out today during the penalties. We also had some bad luck but, sadly, that's part of football."

But despite the disappointment, Robben looked back on what he felt was a successful tournament for the Dutch, saying: "I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved. We presented ourselves really well."

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