Twitter explodes as magnificent Lionel Messi spearheads Argentina to 2022 FIFA World Cup final on record-breaking night

Argentina sealed their place in the final of the FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 win over Croatia as record-breaker Lionel Messi's dream of lifting the trophy moves closer.

It was a frustrating first twenty minutes for Argentina as Croatia enjoyed 65% possession of the ball in their semi-final meeting at the Al Bayt Stadium.

Lionel Scaloni's side sprang into life in the 32nd minute when Julian Alvarez was sent through on goal.

He collided with the Croatian shot-stopper and Argentina were awarded a controversial penalty.

Lionel Messi stepped up and smashed the spot-kick into the roof of the net to give Argentina a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.

The iconic forward is now La Albiceleste's all-time top goalscorer in FIFA World Cup football with 11 goals, beating Gabriel Bautista's record.

He has also moved level with German icon Lothar Matthaus with the most amount of caps at a World Cup with 25.

Alvarez grabbed the second in the 39th minute in spectacular style thanks to his persistence.

The young Argentine striker glided through midfield toward Croatia's box.

A couple of lucky deflections kept the ball in Alvarez's possession and he poked it past Livakovic to extend Argentina's lead.

It was the first time in World Cup history that Croatia had gone in at half-time two goals down. They had a mountain to climb.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi and co had one foot in the final.

Croatia came out in search of a vital goal, but left themselves vulnerable to an Argentine break.

Lionel Messi had the chance to add another in the 56th minute, skipping away from the Croatian defenders with ease.

He then placed the ball at Livakovic's near post, but the Zagreb keeper made a smart save.

However, magical Messi was at his very best in the 68th minute, breaking past one of the rising stars of the tournament, Josko Gvardiol.

The Argentine skipper found Alvarez, who couldn't miss from six yards out to make it 3-0.

Messi and co saw out a decisive 3-0 semi-final victory over Vatreni and head into the final on Sunday, 18 December.

Here are some reactions from supporters on Twitter to a night where Messi's dream of lifting the FIFA World Cup edged ever closer:

Remembering Lionel Messi's heartbreaking 2014 FIFA World Cup final defeat as Argentina head into this year's showpiece

The Argentine hero missed out on World Cup glory in 2014.

Lionel Messi suffered an agonizing defeat to Germany in the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

He was at the peak of his powers, scoring four goals and providing an assist in seven appearances.

The Argentine great was awarded the Golden Ball for his magnificent displays in Brazil, but it didn't matter to him.

Mario Gotze's extra time goal broke his and Argentina's hearts, and he said in the aftermath (via NDTV Sports):

"I don't care about the prize. I don't care about anything. Right now, nothing can console me -- not the award or anything else. I wanted to take Argentina to the World Cup for all the people."

He now has the chance to do that on 18 December against either the reigning champions France or the tournament's underdogs Morocco.

About the author

Matthew is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who has been covering news, rumors and match reports for close to 3 years. Learning creative writing from University of Essex, he combined his skills and passion for football take up writing for the sport professionally.

Matthew always strives to go beyond a story and offer unique and lesser-known insights, while maintaining an unbiased tone in his articles. His reporting exploits at the company have helped him gain a humungous readership of 25 million, with one of his articles raking in a whopping 724,000 reads.

A Manchester United fan since childhood, Matthew admired Sir Alex Ferguson for his loyalty and brave coaching style. His favorite footballer is Thierry Henry, believing the Frenchman to be uniquely talented and charismatic. An ardent Three Lions fan, England's penalty shootout win over Colombia in 2018 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment of all time, and he believes that Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe will have a Ballon d’Or duopoly after Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He also follows his local EFL League Two clubs AFC Wimbledon and Sutton United, and spends his free time watching and writing about professional wrestling. He also likes to work out, watch movies and go for night outs.

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Edited by Matthew Guyett