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Argentina defeats Croatia In The World Cup Final To Fulfill Messi’s Dream

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Argentina defeats Croatia In The World Cup Final To Fulfill Messi's Dream

(CTN News) – Once again, Argentina and Lionel Messi have done it again. The South American powerhouse will play in the World Cup final after beating Croatia 3-0 in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

This was Argentina’s fifth appearance in a World Cup semi-final (the first was in 1930, the second was in 1986, the third was in 1990 and the fourth was in 2014 when they defeated the Netherlands).

Moreover, it is the sixth time that the team has reached a final in its history. There hasn’t been a World Cup win for Argentina since 1986, the last time the country won it.

Argentinian and Croatian players both played conservatively during the opening phase of the game in order to avoid making an early mistake – not wanting to make any mistakes.

There was no turning back for Argentina after a half hour when they took control of the match.

During the 32nd minute, Julián Villarez was one-on-one with Croatian keeper Dominik Livakovi, who was able to bring Villarez down, and the winner of the penalty kick was Villarez. Lionel Messi, the star of Argentina’s national team, stepped up to do what he seems to always do in front of the camera.

He punched the ball high and to the right, giving his side a 1-0 lead as he acted calmly and coolly.

It was not the end of Alvarez’s story. The 39th minute saw him lead a counterattack from midfield, dribble all the way through three Croatian defenders, and loft the ball into the far corner past Livakovi, giving Argentina a 2-0 lead at the break.

Livaković was one of the most impressive goaltenders in this tournament. However, an unrelenting Argentina offense coupled with some defensive lapses by Croatia proved to be too much for the Croatian team.

One more beautiful moment was shared by Messi and Alvarez against Croatia, showcasing their beautiful tandem.

It was Messi’s ballhandling that made a big impact on the Croatian defense in the 69th minute when he beat Croatian defender JoÅ¡ko Gvardiol on the right side of the goal.

The ball was then passed to Alvarez, who then powered it into the net for a 3-0 lead. In the twelve shots on goal that Croatia took, only two of them were on target.

It should be noted that Argentina entered this match having only lost one of their last 41 international matches (28 wins, 12 draws).

As a result, Croatia, the runners-up in the 2018 World Cup tournament, had only lost one of their last 12 matches during this tournament.

It was Messi’s fifth goal of the tournament (and his third assist), which moved him just ahead of Kylian Mbappé (five goals and two assists) for the lead in the Golden Boot competition for the tournament after he scored five goals and contributed two assists.

In the finals, Messi is likely to break another record that he has already set. In this match, he became the second footballer to appear in 25 consecutive FIFA World Cup matches, joining Lothar Matthäus in this regard.

On Sunday, Argentina will face the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal match between France and Morocco.

There is still a lot of time left in Croatia’s World Cup campaign. On Saturday, it will meet the loser of tomorrow’s semifinal in the third place match for the right to claim third place.

When was Argentina last in a World Cup final?

Argentina last reached the World Cup final in 2014 in Brazil, where they lost to Germany.

SEE ALSO:

Dubai Super Cup Highlights As Odegaard Strikes In Arsenal’s Victory Over AC Milan

Argentina is the Favorite to Win this Year’s FIFA World Cup 2022: Economists Predict

FIFA World Cup 2022: France Beat England 1-2 to Reach the World Cup Semis

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