A Sea of Argentine Colours
It was a sea of white and light blue as thousands of Argentine Fans thronged the massive Lusail Stadium in Doha in anticipation of another Messi show and surely enough they were not disappointed. The world watched as Messi and his team mates moved a step closer to the World Title. A match which had its moments was laced by some good fortune and some Messi magic too.
Croatia first off the blocks
Croatia were expected to give headaches to Argentina and were perfectly capable to end Messi’s juggernaut. They started briskly and on an aggressive note. In the first 15 minutes of the game, Croatia enjoyed much more possession with Argentina struggling to get the ball. Modric and his men were threatening to score but the Argentine defence held on.
Lucky Break for Argentina
Post the first quarter Argentina began to grow in the match steadily. They showed much more intent and started winning balls. In the 34th minute Julian Alvarez was obstructed by Livakovic, Croatia’s Goalkeeper and a debatable penalty was awarded to Argentina which Messi converted without any fuss. A thunder of a strike to the left of the in form Livakovic and the keeper had no chance. Messi rarely misses and with his 5th goal of the Tournament, Argentina went ahead.
A Brilliant Run from Alvarez
The Croatians had hardly recovered, when a solo run from Julian Alvarez in a counter attack just 5 minutes later made it 2-0 for Argentina. The 22 year old Alvarez sped away with the ball and though he had two lucky rebounds in the Croatian box, he still managed to put the ball away into the net. A big blow just before the end of the first half and Argentina were looking good to get past Croatia. However, in the recent past Argentina have squandered leads and have put themselves in trouble and so were the Croatians thinking. They were not out of the game yet.
Vintage Messi
A Resolute Messi Stamps Authority
The second half saw quick substitutions from Croatia to bring in much more intensity in the attack. Croatians again held possession and recovered balls much more easily but were unable to score. Messi was playing his part too, showing his exceptional skill with the ball time and time again and one such moment of Messi’s brilliance sealed the match for Argentina. In the 69th minute Messi took the ball from the right flank and made a quick run, holding off his marker. The defender tried to push Messi off his balance, but such is the skill of Messi that inspite of all efforts to push him down, he simply prevailed. The ball stuck to his feet ( as if glued ) as he tried to dribble deep into the Croatian box and made a perfect pass to Julian Alvarez to his left, who drove the ball into the net with his first touch. It was an easy one for Alvarez. Messi had stamped his authority on the match. The stadium virtually erupted.
A Legend Departs
Argentina Stave Off Croatia as Modric Departs
Argentina sat back and defended bravely. Scaloni, the Argentine Manager made a slew of changes to get some fresh legs on the ground. The highly rated Paula Dybala getting a chance too. Croatia could not score but went down fighting. Argentina were a better team on the day and the ageing midfield of Croatia led by the great Luka Modric lost steam in the end. Modric was substituted too bringing an end to the journey of one of the legends of the game. Ivan Perisic too faded away a bit in the end. With limited resources in the goal scoring department, the lead was beyond Croatia. Emiliano Martinez, the Argentine Goalkeeper too played his part with some crucial saves whereas Otamendi and Romero leaked nothing at the back.
Al-Bayt Stadium awaits a Hakimi-Mbappe Clash Tonight
Argentina triumphed over a tough opposition and stormed into the finals. Leo Messi and his team are sticking together big time. Messi is calm and looks extremely determined and that is rubbing on to his team as well. France and Morocco will lock horns tonight to earn a place in Sunday’s Final against Argentina. It will be an Achraf Hakimi and Kylian Mbappe clash at the Al- Bayt Stadium. Team mates at Paris Saint Germain will be trying their best to subdue the other. A fascinating contest is on the cards, with both France and Morocco chasing History.
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