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Sports News of Thursday, 10 July 2014

Source: goal.com

Argentina didn't deserve it - Robben

Netherlands winger was left deflated after their semi-final defeat and says he hopes Germany go on to win the tournament

Arjen Robben said Argentina didn't deserve to reach the World Cup final after beating his Netherlands side 4-2 on penalties in Wednesday's semi-final.

There was little in the way of goalscoring opportunities at either end in a disappointing encounter, with the scoreline goalless after extra-time.

The match was decided by a penalty shoot-out and while Tim Krul's quarter-final heroics saw the Dutch beat Costa Rica on spot-kicks, on this occasion misses from Ron Vlaar and Wesley Sneijder proved costly.

Maxi Rodriguez struck the winning penalty for Argentina, but Robben was in no mood to offer his congratulations as he came to terms with the defeat.

"Argentina did not deserve to win," the Bayern Munich winger claimed.

"They did not have many chances and the best chances fell to us. The final? I think Germany have proved more and I have many friends there, so I hope they win the World Cup."

The Oranje will face Brazil in a third-place play-off on Saturday, but when asked about the prospect of ending the competition on a high, Robben could do little to hid his misery.

"Honestly, it's not a title that interests me," he admitted.

"But, I am very proud of this team. Of course it is difficult to fail when you come so close, but the fact we managed to get here is amazing. We mustn't blame anyone, everyone did a great job."