Virgil van Dijk takes on Argentina star Leandro Paredes as the Netherlands bench invades the pitch

Virgil van Dijk punched Leandro Paredes to the body in the closing stages of the Netherlands' crazy World Cup quarter-final clash with Argentina after a violent incident saw the loanee Juventus smash the ball into the Dutch dugout. The South American side led 2-1 after goals from Nahuel Molina and Lionel Messi before Wout Weghorst pulled one back for Louis van Gaal's side to restore confidence in the final minutes.

Nathan Ake was desperately trying to kick the ball forward when he was cynically fouled by Argentinian Paredes, who was trying to relieve the pressure on his side.

After the foul, the 28-year-old threw the bouncing ball straight into the Dutch dugout which paralleled the incident.

It's safe to say his antics didn't go down well as a host of Dutch substitutes rushed straight onto the pitch towards Paredes.

Tensions then boiled over when the Dutch players clashed with the Argentine players as referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz tried to regain control.

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Van Dijk then arrived and burst into Paredes, giving the Paris Saint-Germain player a taste of his own medicine.

The Liverpool centre-back was booked for his troubles as Lahoz handed out an astonishing 11 yellow cards during the game.

Incredibly, the incident seemed to galvanize Holland for extra time after 10 minutes were added after 90 minutes.

The Netherlands continually probed and had a golden opportunity to level things with just 90 seconds left when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of the box.

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Teun Koopmeiners was the man over the ball and boy did it, slipping through the cutest passes to replace Weghorst to drag Holland level.

It was a moment of pure brilliance in a clutch moment where the stakes really couldn't have been higher.

Cody Gakpo was desperate to take the free kick, but Koopmeiners grabbed the ball and made sure he was the man to take it.

The chemistry between him and Weghorst was nothing short of magical with Holland staring the elimination in the face as they forced the game into overtime.