Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has strongly denied that his aspect are dangerous winners regardless of the antics that adopted their World Cup win over the Netherlands.
The quarter-final conflict, which Argentina gained on penalties after an exciting 2-2 draw, was a bad-tempered affair with scuffles on the pitch and even substitutes booked on the touchline.
The enduring picture, although, was Argentina gamers celebrating immediately within the faces of their crushed Netherlands counterpart after the profitable penalty within the shootout.
Video later emerged of Lionel Messi allegedly goading Netherlands gamers in his post-match interview, however Scaloni insists his staff are gracious winners.
“We have to remove this taboo that we do not know how to lose and we do not know how to win,” Scaloni stated.
“We lost our first game with Saudi Arabia and went quietly to the hotel to continue preparing for what was coming.
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“We gained the Copa America in Brazil (final 12 months) and I believe you noticed essentially the most lovely picture of sportsmanship you might see, with Neymar, (Lionel) Messi, (Leandro) Paredes and different gamers sitting on the steps of the Maracana.”
The incidents further fed Argentina’s long-standing reputation for often taking gamesmanship a little too far. Scaloni, though, believes that reputation is pure fantasy.
“This challenge should be settled,” he said. “We deeply respect the Netherlands, as we do now for [semi-final opponents] Croatia and all our rivals.
“We must banish the idea that we do not know how to win or lose. That is totally out of touch with reality.”