Argentina defeats Croatia 3-0, punching their tickets to the World Cup final.

Croatia appeared spooked for the first time in the competition, caught off guard. They could have felt as though the entire world was working against them.

Argentina defeats Croatia:Lionel Messi kept his World Cup winning destiny on track on an exhilarating night at the glittering Lusail Stadium. He tucked in a penalty, set up another for two-goal hero Julian Alvarez, and put on a near-perfect performance to enthral the crowds and lead his side to the final, where they defeated Croatia 3-0.

It was just what the audience want. Messi highlights. And he approved their request several times. None more so than the assist for the third goal. He sprinted through the right, along the touchline, slipping past Mislav Orsic and flipping him over. But Josko Gvardiol, with his spidery mask, was clinging to him as a kid would to a father, not allowing him the space to fire the pass, not giving him the time and space to work or twist past him, and drifting him away. Despite the strength of a defender 20 years his junior, Messi maintained his form.

He pulled him to the area, closer and closer to the goalkeeper, before stopping and turning and cutting the ball back onto Julian Alvarez’s path. The latter scored from only six yards out. It was as if Messi planned to record a whole album of spectacular assists at the World Cup. It was the epitome of his relentless ambition. If fate does not come to a halt for me, I will come to a halt for it.

Messi’s first moment occurred without warning. He remained mostly silent until Dominik Livakovic pulled Julian Alvarez inside the area and the referee gave the penalty. The incident that led to the penalty occurred against the run of play, at a moment when Croatia appeared to have a better command over the flow of the game than Argentina. But then Enzo Fernandez dispossessed Luka Modric and sent a beautiful pass into the path of Alvarez, who was feathered into the ground as he attempted to round off Livakovic. It may be claimed that his chip was off before Livakovic grabbed him. Whatever, Argentina was going for a penalty, and Messi was going to take it.

Messi was waiting for the whistle(Argentina defeats Croatia)

His two-step walk and waft of the left foot, wrapping the foot around the ball and sending the ball to the top left corner of Livakovic, seemed to move in slow time. You’ve probably seen this a thousand times: the identical pattern, moves, and destination. However, you could watch it a hundred times. The same purpose, the same actions, and the same destination. In the Messi album, nothing is pixelated.
Croatia appeared spooked for the first time in the competition, caught off guard.

They could have felt as though the entire world was working against them. Argentina quickly increased their advantage, creating a thrilling atmosphere inside the majestic Lusail.

Alvarez was the spark once more. Carrying the ball from the middle of the field, where Messi was asking for a foul on him, he swirled and twirled past three Croatian jerseys before nudging it beyond Livakovic’s grasp. A stunning solo goal that would eventually be immortalised among Argentina’s cult-goals. Argentina hummed, almost scoring a third goal but for Josko Gvardiol’s block on Alexis MacAllister’s header, and Messi had a diabolical little run down the right at the stroke of first-half stoppage time, rolling back the years, balancing the ball like a master juggler. Messi may have felt younger in the heat of the moment.

Alvarez, like numerous other Argentines, has excelled this World Cup. Not that his valuable qualities were concealed from the footballing world—he plays for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City—but he demonstrated that the greatest platform in the planet would not wear him down. Croatia’s defenders sweated to follow him since he was more fluid and spatially aware than Lautaro Martinez, whom Lionel Scaloni favoured owing to his directness. Despite the fact that Messi was listed as the second of two strikers on the tactical sheet, they frequently played a 4-2-3-1 with Alvarez as the focal point.

His mind was always searching for a defense-unlocking strike.

Messi had been fairly impassive until that point, as is typical of his recent vintage. He lingered in the inside right channel, his mind racing for a defense-unlocking play and his feet pining for the ball. He was like a teacher, watching the pupils play and then intervening when he felt the need to guide and milk them. With a curling pass from the left, Enzo Fernandez almost found him, but Messi stepped over Josko Gvardiol and stumbled. Messi swung his fists in the air as the crowd stood and whistled in anticipation of a free kick near the box.

However, the referee remained unmoved and was booed. Messi would then retreat a little further, mostly to distract the Croatian fort’s guard, Marcelo Brozovic. When they saw Messi clutching his thigh and walked awkwardly, they held their breath in pain. But that was simply a passing thought as he gathered his thoughts. There appeared to be two games going on at the same time: Messi vs Croatia and Argentina versus Croatia. Two pairs of eyes appeared to be insufficient.

Croatia typically rang in the changes and attacked with greater ferocity.

After the break. A pair of free kicks in the first 15 minutes of the half promised a delicious game, and Emi Martinez had to stretch to deflect a header, but their persistence quickly faded, and Argentina appeared the more likely side to extend their advantage, which they did, in the style the audience expected. Messi is up against it.

As kick-off time neared, the magnificent Lusail Stadium was a riot of colours and emotions. Argentina’s blue and white stripes, with the number and name of you know who, were the most common. Messi was everywhere as small face-shots on people’s faces, clothing, placards, hearts, and souls.

The world’s eyes have gotten accustomed to concentrating on the five-foot-seven-inch physique wherever he plays, whenever he plays. No one has stopped the globe as much as Messi has in the previous two weeks, as if the tournament’s true goal was to give Messi a faultless goodbye. Somewhere lurked the dread that his dying request would go unmet, but the sight of Messi would soothe all those anxieties, as if they were in the presence of a miracle-worker, a soul-healer who soaks all fears and instils tranquilly.

Croatia’s brilliant red and white stood out among the Argentina flags and jerseys, as if the paint had been stripped off the wall, revealing the previous colours. They made up for the lack of numbers with zeal and intensity, yet they were always drowned out by the auditory bleeding caused by Argentina fans. And how they were compensated.

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