For the sixth time in its history, Argentina will play a World Cup final. La Abiceleste put on a dominant display against 2018 runners-up Croatia on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi scored the opening goal with a penalty in the first half. However, it was Julián Álvarez who got the score with a brace. In addition, the Manchester City man took the penalty that Messi scored.
Álvarez, barely 22 years old, played the role of striker in its purest form. Runs through the defense led to the penalty and . He also showed his skill as a finisher when he thwarted Messi’s assist in the second half.
In truth, Argentina seemed the stronger of the two from the start. That trend continued throughout the 90 minutes.
In fact, Croatia held the ball more, with 60% possession compared to 40% for Argentina. The Vatreni then attempted a total of 12 shots. That figure exceeds Argentina’s nine total attempts. Although the statistics tell a single story, Croatia seemed no match for Argentina.
For example, Argentina had seven of those nine shots on goal. For his part, Emiliano Martínez only made three saves in two shots on goal for Croatia.
Josko Gvardiol, one of the tournament’s players in the center back position, struggled to contain Álvarez’s pace and Messi’s adroit footwork. Dejan Lovren, 33 years old and surely playing in the last game of the World Cup, had more problems than his defensive partner.
Argentina showed what can be. Aggressive on the counter and repressed defensively. This is the team that won the 2021 Copa América and has a chance to win the World Cup on Sunday.
Argentina gets ticket to the final of the World Cup in Russia 2022
Argentina will play against the winner of Morocco and France, which will happen on Wednesday at 2 pm ET. Regardless, the performance against Croatia will send Lionel Messi and company into that game with exorbitant confidence.
Messi, for example, is tied with Frenchman Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot Race. Of course, his penalty against Croatia was his third penalty out of five total goals from him. However, he will not care about the amount or the Golden Boot. He also adds three assists, including the jewel to Álvarez for the third.
The mantra of this Argentine team is that it is much more than Lionel Messi. Julián Álvarez proved it. His pair of goals were his third and fourth in the tournament. It seemed like the relief that Lionel Messi needed in 2014 or that he lacked in 2018.
Defensively, Nicolás Otamendi and Cristian Romero are strong. In addition, Lionel Scaloni has players like Lisandro Martínez or Nicolás Tagliafico, the latter starting against Croatia, who can substitute when necessary.
Croatia relegated to third place match
Croatia, despite their performance against Argentina, still put together a hugely successful World Cup. Their tried-and-true technique of waiting on the opposition and taking things to penalties or stoppage time worked wonders. She advanced past a Japan side that defeated Germany and Spain in the group stage. Croatia then stunned Brazil after a brilliant Neymar goal looked to send the five-time winners through to the semi-final.
Luka Modrić, even in the game against Argentina, was outstanding. He dictates an Argentine midfield that has serious arguments to be the best in the tournament. The Croatian goalkeeper made a case for appearing on any team in the world with his performances at the tournament.
Croatia’s tournament isn’t over, even if it can’t match or better its second-place finish of four years ago. The loser of the other semifinal match awaits him in Saturday’s third-place matchup. In all likelihood, that will be Luka Modrić’s last game in Croatia’s famous checkered kit.
PHOTO: IMAGO/Xinhua
World Cup 2022 Guide
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