Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez were on fine form for Argentina
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez’s goals saw Argentina overcome Croatia in front of 89,000 fans at Lusail Stadium to reach the World Cup final in Qatar.
Argentina will now get one last chance to allow Messi to become a world champion on Sunday, with France and Morocco to play out the other semi-final on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old is surely playing in his last World Cup and opened the scoring with an emphatic penalty Alvarez was brought down by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
Alvarez, who was the difference maker all night, produced a sensational 40-yard dribble before scoring minutes later. He would score again after a stunning Messi assist in the second half.
Nizaar Kinsella was at Lusail Stadium watching on as Argentina dominated the match.
Argentina:
Emiliano Martínez - 6
Only made two saves with most of Croatia’s efforts either blocked or going wide.
Nicolás Tagliafico - 6
Forced a good save from Livakovic in the 42nd minute with a good header from a corner. Few attacks got past the Lyon defender.
Nicolás Otamendi - 6
The experienced defender was dominant in the first half and accurate with his passing.
Cristian Romero - 5
Booked for an overzealous tackle, the defender wasn’t one of his side’s top performers.
Nahuel Molina - 7
Roaming forward at will to join the attacks, the right back balanced his duties well after scoring against the Netherlands last time out.
Alexis Mac Allister - 6
Playing on the left wing, the Brighton star was tidy but unremarkable.
Leandro Paredes - 6
He saw a long-range shot saved and battled hard against arguably the best midfield in Qatar.
Enzo Fernandez - 8
Fernandez forced the first save in the 25th minute but he could keep possession that was the biggest asset for his side.
Rodrigo De Paul - 7
Messi’s enforcer was solid in midfield, helping his team control Croatia over 90 minutes.
Julian Alvarez - 10
Won the penalty then dribbled forty yards before finishing for the second goal of the match. Him and Messi destroyed wonderkid Gvardiol for the third. He was as much the difference maker as Messi.
Lionel Messi - 10
Lionel Messi scored and assisted but some of his dribbles were out of this world. He is determined to finally win the World Cup and be a protagonist in doing so.
Substitutes
Lisandro Martinez - 6
Slotted in nicely at the back without being too tested.
Paulo Dybala - 6
Made his first appearance in the tournament but won’t be starting the final after Alvarez’s display.
Exequiel Palacios - 6
The midfielder helped carry on his team’s control of the game.
Juan Foyth - N/A
Angel Correa - N/A
Croatia
Dominik Livakovic - 4
Linked with Bayern Munich earlier in the day after a string of excellent performances, Livakovic looked much shakier in the semi-final and gave away a penalty.
Borna Sosa - 3
He was poor with his crossing and was most at fault for the second goal. He was taken off at half-time.
Josko Gvardiol - 5
The gaps between him and Lovren were too big but the 20-year-old was the best of a bad bunch at the back, even after being destroyed by Messi for the third goal.
Dejan Lovren - 5
Partly at fault for the second goal but steadied himself afterward.
Josip Juranovic - 5
The Celtic right back went forward a lot less than usual but wasn’t at fault for any of the goals.
Mateo Kovacic - 7
The Chelsea midfielder produced a series of sensational dribbles early on but faded as the match wore on.
Marcelo Brozovic - 5
Started well like his two fellow midfielders but was then weak when Alvarez ran through the middle to score.
Luka Modric - 8
The 37 years old bowed out of the World Cup with a sensational trademark performance. The former Ballon d’Or winner will be remembered as one of the greats.
Ivan Perisic - 5
Started in a front two and then moved to left-back to highlight his versatility but not his best performance.
Andrej Kramaric - 4
Quiet in the first half and then moved wide without any additional impact before being substituted.
Mario Pasalic - 4
Taken off at half-time having hardly influenced the game and not being dangerous in attack.
Substitutes
Mislav Orsic - 5
The pacey forward couldn’t impact the game as much as his Dinamo Zagreb teammate Petkovic.
Nikola Vlasic - 5
He couldn’t impact the game as manager Zlatko Dalic used him in a no10 position, abandoning the use of a holding midfielder.
Bruno Petkovic - 7
The 6’ foot 4’ inch target man made a huge impact from the bench but not to quite the same degree as Wout Weghorst in the last round.
Marko Livaja - N/A
Lovro Majer - N/A
