DOHA, Qatar | Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez brought down the Croatian stronghold, which had never allowed more than one goal per game in the tournament, with a 3-0 victory over Argentina in front of almost 89,000 spectators at the Lusail stadium , tuesday.
The Argentinians played well organized, inspired and perfectly collective football with a nice artistic touch to dominate Croatia, who were hoping to return to the final for a second tournament in a row.
AFP photo
Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez were key contributors to Argentina’s victory on Tuesday. We see the two players celebrating following the team’s second goal, scored by Alvarez in the first half.
The Croats fought back, but Julian Alvarez’s second goal, ably set up by Messi, closed the books when it made it 3-0 in the 69th minute. He scored his second in the first half, five minutes following Lionel Messi opened the scoring on a penalty kick.
The Argentinians stumbled once morest Saudi Arabia in a curtain raiser, but since then they have been virtually perfect and growing in strength.
They therefore deserve this return to the final, they who lost once morest Germany in 2014.
And Lionel Messi will have another chance to lift the precious trophy in what might be his swansong on the world’s biggest stage. He is still 35 years old, although the quality of his game has not dropped.
An artist
This match brought to light the great talent of Lionel Messi, a ball artist. At the start of the match, he was economical in his brush strokes, but each gesture produced a prodigious result.
Against Croatia he shone brightly in midfield, doing all the little things to perfection. An artist, we tell you.
Messi has an extraordinary palette which ensures that, even at 35 years old, when he often trots, he is still above the fray by the quality of his touches and his way of attracting one, two or three opponents to then make fun of it and leave with the ball or extract a paying fault.
Modric’s last lap
In the other team there was also a midfielder with the number 10, Luka Modric, who is also endowed with great qualities, although different from those of Messi. The two captains shook hands before kick-off. They are old rivals who have been ripping it off when Messi was with Barcelona while Modric faced him with Real Madrid.
We can only have sympathy for Modric, a formidable midfielder who will never have the chance to lift the World Cup, since, at 37, it was most likely his last appearance.
five fatal minutes
Don’t be fooled by the score: it was a very tight match that took place in a crowded Lusail stadium painted in powder blue and white.
Impregnable since the start of the tournament, the Croatian fortress showed a breach for five minutes in the first half, and Argentina slipped through.
Julian Alvarez was the first to set foot there by causing a penalty shot following contact with goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. It was Lionel Messi who showed up at the penalty spot in the 34th minute, before sending a shot into the left corner.
It was his fifth goal of the tournament. With this eleventh career achievement, he became Argentina’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament, surpassing Gabriel Batistuta.
Julian Alvarez then did what no one had been able to do since the start at least, which was to break through the Croatian defense and score his third goal of the tournament.
He literally went through three defenders to beat Livakovic and make it 2-0 in the 39th.
The Messi Engine
Lionel Messi may be 35, but he smiled like a child in front of journalists following Argentina’s victory over Croatia.
We can understand it: he added a goal and an assist to his record, which now shows five goals and three assists. This means that he participated in eight of his team’s twelve goals. It’s an engine. There is no other word.
AFP photo
Veteran Luka Modric most likely played his last World Cup game on Tuesday.
“I’m having a lot of fun, I feel very good and strong enough to face each match,” he assured, which is reassuring since in the first half, he massaged his left hamstring.
The Croatian coach, Zlatko Dalic, recognized the brilliant game of his heartthrob.
“Messi has been the best player in the world for 15 years and he was once once more very dangerous. He has very high technical qualities and he is the Messi we were waiting for. »
Power up
Argentina have only gone from strength to strength since the start of the tournament, where they stumbled once morest Saudi Arabia.
The Albiceleste had missed this match 2 to 1, once morest all odds.
“The first game was a blow because we hadn’t lost in the previous 26 games. We didn’t expect to lose to Saudi Arabia,” Messi admitted frankly.
“It was a good test for this team which proved that they were solid by playing in the finals in all the following matches. It allowed us to gain strength for the rest of the tournament. »
Smart team
According to Messi, the team’s strength lies in its ability to manage every moment of a game well.
“We have a smart team that knows how to read every moment of a game. We know when to suffer and when to have the ball to lead the game.
“We’re never lost, we always know what to do and that’s why we didn’t despair when we had to run from one side of the field to the other. »
And the quarter-final once morest the Netherlands tested the character of the squad in a big way, according to the Argentina captain.
“We sacrificed ourselves by playing in overtime in the last game and we were tired today (Tuesday). We knew we were going to race tonight and we were going to have to take advantage of my chances. »
Their style
Messi’s words resonated with his coach, Lionel Scaloni, who believes his team played the game they were supposed to.
He added that Croatia caused their men more difficulty than the scoreline would indicate.
“The result of the match does not necessarily reflect our superiority. They played very well at the start of the game with three very good midfielders who were difficult to score.
“The game opened following the penalty kick and we were able to play the style that suited us. »
Doubts
Zlatko Dalic was graceful in the loss, but he still issued a caveat on the penalty shot precisely. This allowed the Albiceleste to open the scoring.
“We played well in the first half hour and then we gave up a dodgy goal to be honest. The referee appeared to award a corner kick and then it became a penalty shot.
“It was a little soft to be honest and he took this game in another direction. »
His team now has three days to heal their wounds.
“We have to get back on our feet to try to get third place on Saturday. »
