La Albiceleste beat Netherlands 4-3 in the shootout after both sides were tied at 2-2 after120 minutes of play, while Croatia came from behind to level the score at 1-1, before getting the better of Brazil 4-2 in the penalties.
Follow Us
Argentina will take on Croatia in the semi-finals of 2022 FIFA World Cup at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday night. Both sides had to go through the extra yard of penalties in their respective quarter-final fixtures last week. La Albiceleste beat Netherlands 4-3 in the shootout after both sides were tied at 2-2 after120 minutes of play. Croatia, meanwhile, came from behind to level the score at 1-1, before getting the better of Brazil 4-2 in the tie breaker. Argentina have now progressed to the last-4 stage in two of the last three World Cups, while the Checkers, who finished runner-ups in 2018, will be aiming to cross the final hurdle, this time around.
#Qatar2022 La Selección se entrenó tras la victoria ante Países Bajos 😉👍
📝https://t.co/znxeEvIBK9 pic.twitter.com/YVd8pnWbLU
— Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) December 10, 2022
Argentina made a stunning start to their highly anticipated last-8 match against European heavyweights Holland, taking the lead inside the opening 35 minutes courtesy of some magical play by their talismanic captain Lione Messi. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner collected the ball from right-wing-back Molina and played a stunning return pass, which the 24-year-old slotted home from inside the box. Head coach Lionel Scaloni’s game plan to opt for three centre-backs and thereby allowing the wing backs to push further forward paid dividends. Left-wing-back Marcus Acuna won the penalty twenty minutes from time, after he was brought down inside the box by Denzel Dumfries. Messi stepped up and converted the spot-kick to double the lead. But a late brace from Wout Weghorst, including a 100th-minute equalizer, forced the game into extra time and then to the penalties. Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made two stunning saves before Lautaro Martinez converted the decisive spot-kick to send the two-time champions to the semi-finals.
Croatia’s victory against Brazil was more about persistence. The Checkers were the second best team for a major part of the game, sitting back and defending, and letting Brazil have the bulk of the ball possession. The Selecao attempted 11 shots on target compared to just one by Croatia. Neymar broke the deadlock in the 105th-minute courtesy of some fine one-touch football on the edge of the box. But the Checkers were not willing to give up and equalised through Bruno Petkovic’s deflected effort in the 117th-minute and forced the match into a 12-yard battle of nerves. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who had kept Brazil out 11 times also denied Rodrygo in the shootout and the Selecao dream was dashed when Marquinhos’ effort struck the bar and went out.
Read more: FIFA World Cup 2022: Players to look out for in the Semi Finals
A World cup record of 17 bookings were made in the game between Argentina and Holland. La Albicelester wing-backs Acuna and Gonzalo Montiel received yellow cards and will be suspended for Tuesday’ games. Therefore, Nocolas Tagliafico is expected to replace Acuna on the left flank. Angel Di Maria, who was nursing a hamstring issue, came on as a substitute in the last few minutes against the Dutch, will be expected to start alongside Messi and Julian Alvarez up front. As for Croatia, head coach Dalic has a fully fit squad at his disposal. Borna Sosa and Mislav Orsic have recovered from their respective illnesses. The midfield trio of Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic is going to be key to Croatia’s success.
Argentina probable starting lineup: E. Martinez, Molina, Romero, Otamendi, Tagliafico, Fernandez, De Paul, Mac Allister, Di Maria, Messi Alvarez
Croatia probable starting lineup: Livakovic, Juranovic, Gvardiol, Lovren, sosa, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic
Argentina
| Opponents | Score |
| Netherlands | 2(4)-(3)2 (W) |
| Australia | 2-1 (W) |
| Poland | 0-2 (W) |
| Mexico | 2-0 (W) |
| Saudi Arabia | 1-2 (L) |
Croatia
| Opponents | Score |
| Brazil | 1(4)-(2)1 (W) |
| Japan | 1(1)-(3)1 (W) |
| Belgium | 0-0 (D) |
| Canada | 4-1 (W) |
| Morocco | 0-0 (D) |
| Last 4 match results (all competitions) | Score |
| Croatia beat Argentina | 0-3 |
| Argentina beat Croatia | 2-1 |
| Croatia beat Argentina | 2-3 |
| Argentina beat Croatia | 1-0 |
The FIFA World Cup match between Argentina and Croatia will take place at Lusail Stadium on Wednesday at 12:30 am IST.
| Argentina vs Croatia | Key Details |
| Date | December 13 |
| Venue | Lusail Stadium |
| Kickoff time in India | 12:30 am (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in Qatar | 10:00 pm (Tuesday) |
| Kickoff time in Argentina | 4:00 pm (Tuesday) |
| Kickoff time in Croatia | 8:00 pm (Tuesday) |
The FIFA World Cup in Qatar can be seen on Sports18 – 1 SD & HD – in India. Sports 18 will be telecasting the games on the regular and HD Channels. Besides, Viacom18 Sports announced that Jio Cinema will live-stream all the World Cup games. Besides, the match between Argentina and Croatia can be seen on HRT network in Croatia; and DeporTV, TyC Sports Play, Television Publica and DirecTV Sports network in Argentina.
