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SHANGHAI, China (AP) - Lionel Messi scored the first goal and set up the extra-time winner Saturday for defending champions Argentina as they beat the Netherlands 2-1 and advanced to the Olympic football semifinals against Brazil.

Watched by Argentina's greatest ever player, Diego Maradona, Messi gave his side a 14th-minute lead with his second goal of the competition, but Otman Bakkal equalized for the Dutch in the 36th.

Messi then sent a through ball for Angel Di Maria to score in the 105th minute.Earlier, Brazil reached the semifinals by beating Cameroon 2-0 after extra time.

Although it was another sellout 56,000 crowd, Maradona sat in an almost deserted VIP box alongside a team official but got a huge ovation from the fans.

After Dutch midfielder Urby Emmanuelson had shaved the post, Messi went close when he dribbled around goalkeeper Kenneth Vermeet only for Evander Sno to clear his shot off the line.

But the Barcelona star, who was allowed to play in this competition by his club even though it had a legal order to pull him out, scored after a blunder by Calvin Jong-A-Pin. The Dutch defender's clearance was charged down by Messi, who ran at the defenders, beating one before dribbling round the goalkeeper again and still having time to compose himself and blast the ball past Jong-A-Pin on the line.

Argentina missed two more chances before the Dutch hit back.

Defender Nicolas Pareja tripped Ryan Babel just outside the area and was shown the yellow card, and he was further punished when the Dutch equalized.

The free kick was played to Sno, whose shot was partly blocked and looped over the defenders to Bakkal. He was left on his own to slide the ball home from 10 meters.

Sergio Aguero missed two chances for Argentina, and Dutch midfielder Jonathan De Guzman had a 30-meter shot pushed round the post by goalkeeper Oscar Ustari, who had to leave the field in the 71st minute with what looked like a hamstring injury.

As extra time loomed, Royston Drenthe missed an easy chance for the Netherlands when he fired too high with only substitute Sergio Romero to beat. Then, Messi went on a trademark weaving dribble past two defenders only to shoot straight at the goalkeeper.

Extra time was only 30 seconds old when Messi sent Aguero clear, but his shot was also too close to the goalkeeper.

But he set up the winner with a pass to Di Maria, who kept cool, fought off defender Roy Beerens and rolled the ball past the goalkeeper inside the far post.