Doha (Qatar), Dec.13, GNA – Argentina booked a ticket to the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the sixth time after defeating 2018 finalists, the Blazers of Croatia 3-0 at the Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
A brace from Julian Alvarez and a goal from the celebrated Lionel Messi were enough to hand Zlatko Dalic’s charges a convincing defeat and the first in the Mundial after being tipped to give the South American’s a run for their money.
The early minutes of the game saw the Croatians enjoying possession as they kept their midfield solid, preventing the Argentines from having their way to the defense, which showed no sign of weakness.
Argentina on the other hand had their midfield scattered but looked very dangerous anytime they approached half of their opponents.
A solid run by Alvarez to beat the defense of the Croatians finally paid off as he was fouled by Dominik Livakovic, who tried to stop the forward on a one-on-one encounter in the 18-yard box to give his side an early advantage in the game.
Seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi beautifully finished off the spot kick with a lethal left-footed shot in the 34th minute of the game, to give his side the lead, making him Argentina’s all-time top scorer at the World Cup with 11 goals.
The men in blue and white despite taking the lead in the first half of the game still kept the defense of their opponent on their toes with their counterplay, as Messi and Alvarez connected beautifully anytime they had their share of the ball.
It was Alvarez once again who made a quick counter with a solo run as he danced through two defenders to fire the ball past the goalkeeper in the 39th minute to double the lead for his side.
All efforts by Luka Modric and his men to find the net in the first half were fruitless as the match ended 2-0 before recess.
Lionel Sebastian Scaloni’s Argentine side was up to the task to deepen the woes of Croatia, breaking through the defensive line of Gvardiol and Lovren who were left in a state of confusion.
The confidence shown by the 22-year-old Alvarez upfront was one to talk about as he stepped up to suit the play of his teammates who kept on frustrating the Croatians with their long balls.
A 69th-minute assist from Messi to the Argentine spider, Alvarez was all his side needed to put the game to bed as the South Americans stretched their lead to three.
The Croatians tried their possible best to get a consolation goal but the Argentines were defensively sound in the dying minutes of the game, cementing their back line with their long clearances.
The final minutes of the game was a moment for the Argentine goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez who made quite some impressive saves.
Italian referee, Daniele Orsato after an additional minute of five, blew his whistle to end the game as Argentina made history once again.
Argentina will wait for the winner between France and Morocco for the final on Sunday at the Lusail Stadium.
GNA