Coach Sabella hopes Di Maria gets fit for semis

Brasilia: Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said here Saturday that he hoped Angel Di Maria would be fit to play in Wednesday`s semi-final.

During Argentina`s 1-0 win over Belgium in the World Cup quarter-final, Di Maria suffered a thigh injury and had to be substituted in the 33rd minute, reports Xinhua. "The Real Madrid midfielder will undergo tests Sunday," said Sabella. "We lost one player and hope it won`t be too much in the case of Angel." "He is vital to us, but the players played an excellent match from a tactical and strategic point of view: the idea of giving and not receiving in order to create a virtuous circle. We want more, but we lived up to the objective, which was to be a part of the final four of the best teams in the world," he said. Gonzalo Higuain, who scored the winner in today`s match and became the Man-of-the-Match, also spoke highly of Di Maria. "He`s part of the starting eleven and is very helpful," Higuain said. "I`m really sorry that he left, but we will join forces and hope he will be ready as soon as possible. We know what he represents for the team." A delighted Sabella said: "After 24 years, we can be among the four best teams in the world. So as you can tell, this is a huge, but moderate joy. We have to reserve our energy."