Tottenham defender Cristian Romero helped Argentina reach the World Cup final on Tuesday night as Lionel Scaloni's side overcame Croatia 3-0.
Lionel Messi converted a first-half spot-kick and watched Julian Alvarez end a strong solo run with a cool finish, before the skipper showed incredible nous and skill to tee up the Manchester City forward to wrap up a 3-0 win. Argentina will return to Lusail Stadium to face France or Morocco on Sunday, depending on who wins tonight's other semi-final.
It was delight for Spurs defender Romero but pain for his club teammate Ivan Perisic, who will soon return to north London to prepare for Tottenham's Premier League clash with Brentford on December 26.
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During the semi-final on Tuesday, Romero was solid at the back next to centre-back partner Nicolas Otamendi. The pair coped well with whichever system Croatia adopted throughout the contest and were a major part in helping the South American side keep a clean sheet.
At the full-time whistle, the cameras were mostly on Messi following his sensational performance. At one point, the PSG forward was seen giving Spurs defender Romero a big hug.
Romero, who had taken his top off, responded by giving the Argentine a tight hug back before putting his arm over his shoulder and rubbing Messi's head. It was a nice embrace between the two, who will now be hoping Argentina can go all the way and win the competition.
"Well, what I can say is that I am enjoying this a lot,” 35-year-old Messi said with a smile after the match. "I am feeling really good.
"This is what we’ve been doing in every match. The previous match was a big sacrifice and we went into extra time. That wasn’t easy. Today we were tired but we pulled our strengths to earn this victory.
"We played very well. We knew that we would play this way. We prepared this a lot because we knew they wouldn’t have the ball because we would need to run in this match and then keep our chances.
"So, as I say, I think we prepared this match in a very good way, as we always do. And, personally, I can say that I feel very happy in this whole World Cup. I am enjoying it a lot and luckily enough I am able to help my whole squad to make things happen."
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