With the brilliance of Lionel Messi and Julián Álvarez, Argentina defeated Croatia 3-0 to become the first finalist of the Qatar World Cup, after triumphing on the afternoon of this Tuesday (13) at the Lusail Stadium.
Croatia, with the same starting lineup that held Brazil, played their basic game: holding possession, passing sideways, and taking their time. In this way, the European team let the time pass without suffering major threats in the early moments.
At 31 minutes, Álvarez was finally launched deep and ended up brought down by Livakovic. The Italian referee Daniele Orsato awarded a penalty and showed a yellow card to two Croatian players. The star Lionel Messi converted perfectly, high into the net, sending the Lusail Stadium into a frenzy: 1-0.
And for those who thought the Croatian marking was tough and difficult, as it was against Brazil, they could not have imagined Julián Álvarez’s ease in an individual play. The 22-year-old striker dribbled the ball, left two defenders behind, and shot past Livakovic. A stunning goal from the young forward at 38 minutes of the first half.
At halftime, Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic made three substitutions in a desperate attempt to equalize the match. It didn’t help much.
At 23 minutes, Messi decided to do it all by himself. He shook off the Croatian marking, entered the area, and made a low cross for Álvarez to finish into the net: 3-0.
With this brilliant performance, Messi further establishes his credentials to be named the star of the World Cup (an award he already won in 2014 in Brazil).
Source: Agência Brasil