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Two-time world champions Argentina took on 2018 finalists Croatia at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in the first semi-final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup on Tuesday night (13 December). Buoyed by a stunning Julian Alvarez brace and a confident Lionel Messi strike, Lionel Scaloni’s side recorded a 3-0 victory over Croatia. They will return to the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Sunday (18 December) to take on either Morocco or France in the final.
Neither team managed to create anything of note in the opening exchanges. Lionel Messi found himself outnumbered every time he got on the ball, while Luka Modric was also tightly marked by the Argentine players.
In the 25th minute, Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez tried to curl the ball in from the edge of the ‘D.’ Dominik Livakovic lunged to his left to parry the ball. La Albicelste ultimately drew first blood in the 34th minute, with Messi hammering his penalty home after Alvarez collided with Livakovic inside the penalty area.
Five minutes after winning the penalty, Alvarez went on a superb solo run. Helped along by a couple of lucky rebounds, the Manchester City man got into a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper and applied a cool finish to double La Albicelste’s advantage.
Croatia could have found themselves three goals down in the 41st minute when Alexis Mac Allister connected with Messi’s corner. Livakovic got down quickly to keep the ball from going over the goalline.
In the 57th minute, Messi held off multiple challenges from Croatian defenders to open up a slice of space inside the box. He got his shot away from a tight angle, but it could not trouble Livakovic. In the 69th minute, Messi produced a moment of magic, completely undoing Josko Gvardiol before teeing up Alvarez for a simple tap-in. The goal practically put the game to bed, all but sealing Argentina’s place in the final.
In the 82nd minute, Mac Allister came close to quadrupling Argentina’s advantage, dispatching a sweet volley from inside the box. Unluckily for the midfielder, his shot drifted narrowly off the mark.
It was a remarkable performance from La Albicelste, one that deservedly won them a place in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. Here are five players who stood out as they picked up a 3-0 victory over Croatia in their semi-final clash on Tuesday:
#5 Emiliano Martinez
Truth be told, Emiliano Martinez could have had a much busier night had the Croats been a little more consistent in front of goal. But he must be given due credit for exuding confidence whenever a threat loomed inside the box.
All three of his high claims were as reassuring as ever. He made three decent saves, made a couple of clearances, and delivered six accurate long balls.
#4 Enzo Fernandez
Young Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez produced a performance to remember against mighty Croatia. His movements were sharp, passing crisp, and he always looked to make things happen in the final third. He also got his hands dirty, making some vital defensive interventions.
At the Lusail Iconic Stadium, Fernandez played a key pass, created a big chance, completed 42 passes (87.5% accuracy), and delivered two accurate long balls. Additionally, he won four ground duels and attempted four tackles.
#3 Alexis Mac Allister
Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister looked sprightly against the Croats. He moved the ball around with ease, created openings for his teammates, and even came close to finding the back of the net himself. His header in the 42nd minute was particularly excellent, but Livakovic was equal to it.
On Tuesday night, Mac Allister played two key passes, delivered two accurate long balls, won three ground duels, drew two fouls, and completed 30 passes (83.3% accuracy).
#2 Julian Alvarez
Manchester City ace Julian Alvarez won a penalty and scored two fine goals to help his team to a commanding victory over the 2018 World Cup finalists. In the 32nd minute, he showed great initiative to barge into the Croatian box before clattering against the goalkeeper. The referee pointed to the spot and Messi stepped up to put it away.
Five minutes later, Alvarez dashed down the middle. Thanks to his persistence and a couple of fortunate deflections, he found himself one-on-one with the keeper. Without hesitation, he poked the ball to the keeper’s right to double his team’s advantage. Alvarez scored the third Argentine goal in the 69th minute, sumptuously taking his first-time effort past Livakovic.
Three goal involvements aside, Alvarez delivered two accurate long balls, completed 12 passes, and won two ground duels.
#1 Lionel Messi
Argentina’s magic man Lionel Messi ran the show at the Lusail Stadium on Tuesday, proving, once again, that it was practically impossible to contain him on his day. In the 34th minute, Messi gave his team the lead, finding the top-right corner of Livakovic’s goal with a thunderous penalty. The goal took his FIFA World Cup goal tally to 11, making him Argentina’s record goalscorer in the tournament, surpassing Gabriel Batistuta’s tally (10 goals).
His best moment of the match, however, came in the 69th minute, when he assisted Alvarez for his second goal of the night. Messi picked up the ball on the right side of the pitch, just past the halfway line. Gvardiol, who has been one of the breakout stars at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, tried to close him down, but Messi’s burst of pace was too tricky for him to handle. Messi turned the Croatian center-half inside out near the penalty box before taking the ball to the byline and pulling it back for a simple tap-in for Alvarez.
Against Croatia, Messi completed four dribbles, created two big chances, won five ground duels, and drew a foul, capping off a perfect FIFA World Cup performance.
