Qatar: Argentina won the first spot in World Cup final with a dominant 3-0 victory over Croatia. The two Argentine forwards Julián Álvarez and Lionel Messi made a difference for the sky blue by contributing significantly to each of the three goals.
First, goalkeeper Dominik Livakovi brought down Alvarez in the 18-yard box in the 34th minute. Livakovi was given a yellow card by the referee, and Argentina was given a penalty. Unsurprisingly, Messi stepped up to the spot. The captain of Argentina fired the ball with his left foot into the top right corner to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Argentina are in the #FIFAWorldCup Final! 🔥@adidasfootball | #Qatar2022
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 13, 2022
With his 11th FIFA World Cup goal, Messi currently holds the record for his nation’s most goals in the competition. Messi is currently tied for first place in the Golden Boot Award, which is granted to the competition’s top scorer, with five goals scored in Qatar. Five minutes later, Álvarez pulled off an incredible individual effort to net one of the goals of the tournament.
Álvarez broke through the Croatian defence with the ball after sprinting forward from the other end. His original attempt seemed to be stopped, but Álvarez was able to grab the rebound and force the ball into the goal to make it 2-0 at the half.
Argentina looked for a third goal in the second half to defeat Croatia. And once again, it was Alvarez and Messi who came through. Messi continued to hold onto the ball and dribble all the way to the opponent’s byline in the 70th minute. Álvarez, 22, scored his second goal of the match.
Messi tied German Lothar Matthäus for the most appearances in the history of the FIFA Men’s World Cup with 25 games played With his performance in the match against Croatia. Argentina will now face the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal match between Morocco and France.