Argentina and Lionel Messi have done it again. The South American powerhouse will play in the World Cup final after beating Croatia 3-0.
This was the fifth time that Argentina had played in the semi-finals of the World Cup (they had defeated the United States in 1930, Belgium in 1986, Italy in 1990, and the Netherlands in 2014). And this is the sixth time he has reached the final. Argentina last won the World Cup in 1986. (Messi’s Dream Is Alive As Argentina Beat Croatia To Reach World Cup Final)
It was a cautious start to the match, as both Argentina and Croatia played conservatively, not wanting to make early mistakes. But after half an hour, Argentina took control and never looked back.
In the 32nd minute, Julián Álvarez went head-to-head with Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livkovic, who brought Álvarez down and earned a penalty. Argentina star Lionel Messi then stepped up to do what he apparently always does. Calm and cool-headed, he hit the ball up and to the right, giving his team a 1-0 lead.
Alvarez was not done. In the 39th minute, he led a counter-attack and dribbled from midfield, ran through three Croatian defenses, and flicked the ball past Livakovic to give Argentina a 2–0 half-time lead.
Livkovic scored a goal in this tournament. But a stout Argentine offense and some Croatian defensive errors proved too much.
Table of Contents
The beautiful duo of Messi and Alvarez experienced a shining moment against Croatia. In the 69th minute, Messi had the brilliance of an incredible ball tackle against Croatian defender Josko Guardiol on the right side of the goal. Messi then found Alvarez, who pushed him through for a 3–0 lead. Of Croatia’s twelve shots on goal, only two were on target.
Argentina entered the match having lost just one of their previous 41 international games (28 wins, 12 draws). While Croatia, the runners-up in the 2018 tournament, had lost just one of their last 12 World Cup matches.
It was Messi’s fifth goal (and his third assist) of the tournament, moving him just ahead of Frenchman Kylian Mbappe (five goals and two assists) for the tournament lead in the Golden Boot competition. Messi is ready to break another record in the final. It was his 25th World Cup appearance and he joined Lothar Matthaus for the all-time FIFA best performance. (Messi’s Dream Is Alive As Argentina Beat Croatia To Reach World Cup Final)
Argentina will play on Sunday against the winner of Wednesday’s semi-final between France and Morocco. The Croatian World Cup tournament isn’t over yet. They will play for third place on Saturday against the loser of tomorrow’s semi-finals.
Sponsor Message
Remembering Fallen Journalists
The return to Lusail Stadium amid sporting excitement has been bittersweet for journalists. That’s where American soccer player Grant Wahl died while covering the Argentina-Netherlands quarterfinal on Saturday. During the game, he fell into the press box.
This was the third death of a journalist in this World Cup. Roger Pearce, ITV’s director of sport, died last month. Khalid al-Mislam, a photojournalist for Al Qas TV, “died suddenly” last weekend.
FIFA placed a trio of condolence books with photographs of each journalist in the press center at Lusail Stadium. NPR’s Tom Goldman was among those who took time to honor those who died: “This media center is full. But it’s empty.”
Tom Goldman contributed reporting from Al Dayan, Qatar, and Russell Lewis reported from Birmingham, Ala.
