After leading Argentina to a decisive 3-0 victory over Croatia on Tuesday to seal their spot in the championship match, Lionel Messi's pursuit of the elusive World Cup victory is now just one step away from being realized.

In the previous round, Croatia had proven to be a formidable opponent when they defeated Brazil, but they were eliminated at Lusail Stadium as Argentina maintained their remarkable streak of never losing a World Cup semifinal.

Messi was instrumental, scoring Argentina's first goal from the penalty spot to become his nation's all-time leading World Cup goal scorer with 11 goals, and then contributing to Julian Alvarez's mostly accidental second.

Argentina's third goal in the second half wasn't accidental; Messi's spectacular solo move set up Alvarez to end any uncertainty about the outcome.

Early on, neither team appeared eager to push many players forward, but just over the halfway point, a rare defensive error gave Argentina the lead.

Dominik Livakovic clashed with attacker Alvarez after Dejan Lovren had set him up, resulting in a penalty that Messi hammered into the top-right corner. Five minutes later, after some shoddy Croatian defense, the score was 2-0.

Alvarez was let free by Messi's pass to attack Croatia on the break, and he scored from close range after sprinting the length of the field and taking advantage of three ricochets.

After the break, Argentina sat back more, making it difficult for Croatia to break through. Emiliano Martinez, the goalkeeper, was largely untested.

In the final 21 minutes, Croatia's chances of scoring a comeback were completely destroyed.

Josko Gvardiol was beat by Messi on the right as he sprinted by him, checked back, and beat him once more on the outside before cutting back to the appreciative Alvarez, who applied the finish.

THE DIFFERENCE IS MESSI AS BAD LUCK DEPARTS CROATIA

Croatia, who finished second in Russia four years ago, will be disappointed because they didn't do themselves justice.

Argentina's first goal was scored after Croatia ought to have been awarded a corner at the other end, and their second came after a series of ricochets and an unsuccessful clearance attempt by the unsteady Borna Sosa.

Argentina was cunning and fully capitalized on those two circumstances. The third objective was simply the brainchild of a genius. Perhaps Messi's destiny is to win the World Cup.

MESSI PERFORMS ADMIRABLY.

Certainly, Messi has played better, but this was really effective.

The skipper was crucial to all three goals, and his run leading up to the third will undoubtedly be repeated endlessly over the coming days.

ALVAREZ'S TENACITY IS A GREAT ADVANTAGE.

The majority of Argentina's most menacing plays, of course, were Messi, but Alvarez deserves a lot of praise for his performance.

Although it was obvious that the big striker got lucky when he made it 2-0, he undoubtedly earned his good fortune.

Meet the Author

View Profile

---

Deye Muel

Psychologist and Blogger.

follow me