Messi Magic Sends Argentina Through to Word Cup Final

Argentina Heads to its Sixth World Cup Final…..

Messi scored once (34 min) and Julian Álvarez added two more (39 and 69 min respectively) as Argentina dominated a veteran Croatia team in the semi final match played at Qatar's Lusail Stadium.

Only three other nations (Uruguay, Croatia and Netherlands) have advanced to as many World Cup finals as Argentina, which reached its sixth by beating Croatia, 3-0, in a romp that conferred upon Lionel Messi an ultimate, glorious chance for immortality.

Messi's inaugural goal through a thunderous penalty and a sublime assist sends Argentina deservedly through to the World Cup Final.

Gabriel Batistuta had 10 goals at the World Cup, but Messi has already surpassed him with 11.

Lionel Messi, the crowning glory inspired his team with his penalty goal against Croatia in the semi final. 

Initially the Croatia midfielders were in maximum possession of the ball in the Argentina half. Argentina have been fairly underwhelming till Messi got Argentina up and running with a coolly converted penalty – his fifth goal of the tournament, taking him level with France’s Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race – and he was involved at the beginning of the killer second for Julian Álvarez. What a run it was from Álvarez, all power and intent; the finish so simple after what had gone before.

Messi was not finished, his jaw-dropping moment being the assist for Álvarez’s second that ended any notion of a Croatia comeback. Picking up the ball on the right, he ran away from Josko Gvardiol, stopped, went again, tying one of the tournament’s best defenders in a knot. There was then a spin, an ease away from him along the byline and a pull‑back. Álvarez did the rest. Gvardiol was powerless. So were Croatia.

Messi, Messi and Messi to track his every breath. On the occasion of a record-equalling 25th World Cup finals appearance, he scored his 11th goal in the competition, an Argentina record. His assist gave him eight in World Cups – the same as Diego Maradona. But it is what Maradona did in 1986 that he most wants to equal. Messi has won it all – apart from the World Cup. 

Croatia have lived on the brink: close to the exit at the group stage; fighting back to turf out Japan and then Brazil in the knockout rounds. The 2018 finalists had routinely gone to extra time and beyond; they never know when they are beaten. This country of just 3.9 million people has defied the odds over and over again. Not here. Their resistance was finally broken, comprehensively. It was Argentina’s sixth World Cup semi‑final. They are still to lose one. So it is over. Messi, along with his boys, storms into the final.

This is all for the day about the FIFA World Cup 2022 first semi Final as of now. France will take on Morocco on the 14th December in next semi. The winning team will play Argentina in the final on 18th December at Lusail Iconic stadium, Qatar.