In what seems to be his last World Cup, Argentina’s talismanic skipper Lionel Messi has led his team to yet another World Cup final. The runners-up of the 2014 World Cup beat Croatia 3-0 in the first semifinal that happened at Qatar’s Lusail Iconic Stadium.
The game started with both teams evenly poised. But soon after the 30-minute mark, Argentina started to make a move. And their tactics worked when the Croatians crumbled under pressure and gave away a penalty due to Croatia’s goalkeeper’s fault. Lionel Messi didn’t disappoint his nation and converted the penalty into a comfortable goal.
With the Argentines leading, Croatia tried to make the game even. However, they didn’t succeed. Julian Alvarez, the latest acquisition of Manchester City, capitalized with a stunning solo goal. The Croatians didn’t have an answer to the Argentine offence. The Argentines went into the half-time break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
Messi’s Argentina didn’t stop their counter-attacking gameplay as the second half started. The No. 3 ranked team in FIFA scored another wonderful goal, thanks to Julian Alvarez. The strike crushed the game and spirit of the Croatians.
This is Argentina’s sixth World Cup appearance. They have won in 1978 and 1986 and been runners-up thrice: in 1930, 1990 and 2014.
Argentina will now face the winner of the second semifinal happening between France and Morocco. Will the South American champs be able to win the trophy for their skipper Lionel Messi? Only time will tell.
