World Cup 2022: Argentina 3-0 Croatia – Messi and Alvarez result in World Cup ultimate

Lionel Messi’s stellar performance led Argentina to their sixth World Cup final as they beat Croatia at the Lusail Stadium.

Messi initially appeared to be battling a hamstring problem but the Argentine youngster recovered enough to break the penalty spot after 34 minutes after Croatia goalkeeper Dominic Livakovic fouled a predatory Alvarez deadlock.

Five minutes later, Alvarez turned Messi’s header into Croatia and was helped by lucky rebounds from Josip Djuranovic and Borna Sousa before beating Livakovic. , doubling Argentina’s lead.

It didn’t involve a brilliant third when Messi beat Croatia’s brilliant defender Josco Gvadiol on the touchline after the break and then finished off Alvarez.

Messi will now have the chance to make up for the bitter disappointment of losing to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final at Rio’s iconic Maracanã.

Messi’s last World Cup win

When Messi stretched and grabbed the top of his left hamstring in the 19th minute of this World Cup semi-final, there were fears that Argentina’s dream and their iconic No. 10 might end in a nightmare.

Instead, Messi recovered after a period of walking pace, inspiring the Argentine to seek a third victory in the Championship after victories in 1978 and 1986.

It was a far cry from Argentina’s 2-1 loss to Saudi Arabia in their opening game in Qatar, where they remained the victim of the biggest shock of the tournament despite Messi sending one of the pre-tournament favorites into the final. front.

It was in 1990 that Argentina were stunned by Cameroon in similar fashion in their first match, and then went on to reach the final, where they lost 1-0 to West Germany.

Now they have the chance to be even better as the World Cup culminates. Messi could finally claim the title in his final game.

Argentina used the meeting with tenacious, resilient and talented 2018 finalists Croatia to produce their most convincing performance of the tournament, showing that Lionel Scaloni’s side are on the mend Perfect timing to reach the top.

Messi is inevitably at the center of it all, involved in every goal, but Alvarez’s performances in Qatar have shown that, barring accidents, he has had a fantastic career.

City’s huge spending over the years has drawn a lot of attention, but signing Alvarez from River Plate for a cool £14.1m was a coup.

Croatia bows with head held high

Croatia, like so many teams before it, were decimated by the brilliance of Messi and his young partner Alvarez after a confident and composed start to the World Cup semi-finals.

For Argentina’s first two goals, their defense was uncharacteristically exposed, with even their brilliant young defender Gwadiol barely able to stop Messi’s turn and run to create the third.

However, Croatia once again had a strong game, with the country of just four million reaching the semi-finals in Qatar after reaching the final in Russia in 2018.

If Argentina had Messi, then Croatia had their own football maestro, Luka Modric, who was met with applause from everyone at the Lusail Stadium when he was substituted with nine minutes remaining.

He, like Messi, had his sights set on World Cup victory after suffering the same agony of final defeat, but that was not the case.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic and his players can be proud of their efforts despite being beaten here, while RB Leipzig defender Gvardiol, 20, has unearthed the quality of this World Cup. A rising star who will serve them for years has become a key target for Europe’s elite clubs.

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