Argentina advanced to the World Cup final with a commanding 3-0 semifinal victory over Croatia at Lusail Stadium thanks to Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez.
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Argentina defeated Croatia 3-0 on Wednesday at the Lusail Stadium in the first semifinal of the FIFA World Cup 2022 thanks to two goals from Julian Alvarez and one from Lionel Messi (IST). With this victory, the Lionel Messi-led team has advanced directly to the tournament’s championship game, where they will play either France or Morocco. Argentina has made two appearances in the World Cup final in the last eight years, making this their sixth overall. The 2018 runners-up Croatia have been eliminated after the defeat, and they will now play the winner of the second semi-final in the third-place play-off.
Argentina advanced to the World Cup final with a commanding 3-0 semifinal victory over Croatia at Lusail Stadium thanks to Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez. A cagey first half-hour saw Croatia, looking to repeat their exploits from 2018, be the superior team, but Dominik Livakovic hauled down Alvarez as the Manchester City striker hoisted the ball over him. Livakovic was the hero for his nation in the shootout victories over Brazil and Japan, but he had little chance when Messi slammed his penalty into the top right corner to tie Kylian Mbappe for first place in the Golden Boot race.
The two goal scorers combined delightfully in the 69th minute when Messi tormented Josko Gvardiol with a mesmerising dribble before setting up Alvarez for his fourth of the tournament. Alvarez then tenaciously bundled his way through a disorganised Croatia defence on the counter-attack to double the lead.
With five goals, Messi has surpassed Gabriel Batistuta to become Argentina’s all-time best World Cup scorer. He will then have one final opportunity to defeat fellow legend Diego Maradona and hoist the renowned gold trophy. On the field on Tuesday, another all-time great was planning his path to victory. Luka Modric led Croatia to a controlled start, but their lack of creativity against Armenia’s explosive front two was finally revealed. Alvarez was pushed toward goal by Dejan Lovren after he carelessly played him onside, and Livakovic hauled him out. Messi hasn’t always been great at penalties, but he found a precise shot to match the occasion and score his 11th World Cup goal.
The second goal was created on the community fields in Calchin, Cordoba, whereas the first was the result of hours of repetition in luxurious training facilities. On the halfway line, Alvarez took control after Marcelo Brozovic’s cross from a short corner was stopped. Croatia was confused by Nahuel Molina’s blitz down the outside, and Alvarez persevered to win on his own despite attacks from Josip Juranovic and Borna Sosa. Messi came close to scoring his second goal when he exchanged passes with Enzo Fernandez and forced Livakovic into a fantastic save at his near post, but he still had one more bit of magic to work so that Alvarez could score a goal that was far easier to score than his first. Due to Gvardiol’s performances in this tournament, transfer rumours have him valued at £100 million. But he found himself transfixed when Messi outran him, checked behind, and whirled around him once more to hand Alvarez a chance. The great guy awaits the conclusion.
