Argentina defeated Croatia to reach the FIFA World Cup final in Qatar after Lionel Messi scored one goal and one assist at the Lusail Stadium on Tuesday night.
But the credit is not Messi's alone. Some of it goes to Julian Alvarez, who earned the penalty kick that Messi made. He added the second goal for Argentina with relentless running and then turned Messi's pass into a 3-0 lead.
The rest of the Argentina team also made valuable contributions to the victory by switching to four backs, freezing Croatia's midfield and shutting them down in the two wings.
After eight years, Messi has made the World Cup final again, standing with new teammates who grew quickly in the tournament to become trusted and counted on by Messi.
Lionel Messi (L) and Julian Alvarez celebrate after Alvarez scores a goal in the FIFA World Cup semifinals against Croatia at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, December 13, 2022. /CFP
Lionel Messi of Argentina celebrates after scoring a goal in the FIFA World Cup semifinals against Croatia at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, December 13, 2022. /CFP
Enzo Fernandez (L) of Argentina guards Luka Modric of Croatia in the FIFA World Cup semifinals at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, December 13, 2022. /CFP
Rodrigo De Paul (L) of Argentina guards Mateo Kovacic of Croatia in the FIFA World Cup semifinals at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, December 13, 2022. /CFP
Host: Li Xiang
Guest: Josh McNally
Cover designer: Feng Yuan
Chief editor: Chen Ran
Supervisor: Zhang Shilei