Last night, Argentina secured their place in Sunday’s grand final with a resounding 3-0 victory over Croatia in the first game of the World Cup semi-final.
Most of us expected the Albiceleste to suffer against Zlatko Dalic’s resilient defenses, but Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez made it look easy. The duo combined to score three goals, while the Croats never really threatened Emiliano Martínez at the opposite end.
While Ángel Di María was tipped to start, it was another Juventus star who got the nod for Argentina.
Leandro Paredes had not started a match for the South American giants since their opening loss to Saudi Arabia, but the midfielder appeared to be in fine form.
The 28-year-old was on the pitch for 62 minutes before making way for Lisandro Martínez.
According to Ilbianconero, Paredes did 36 successful passes out of 39 attempts (92%) and 1 shot on goal.
Defensively, he contributed five tackles (four earned) and also earned a aerial duel in his only attempt.
The only negative about their display is the three turnovers, but that doesn’t change the verdict on what was a solid performance overall.
As for Di María, it seems that he has not fully recovered yet, since he remained on the field throughout the match.
Argentina will now play Sunday’s final against the winner of tonight’s clash between France and Morocco.
