All it took was a five-minute stretch late in the first half for Argentina to score a quickfire double to book their place in the World Cup final, defeating Croatia 3-0 in the semifinals on Tuesday. Despite seemingly having hamstring issues during the first half of the match, Lionel Messi was unstoppable, scoring from the spot before Julian Alvarez scored twice in the lopsided victory. Messi's penalty came from a rare mistake from Dominik Lovankovic who clattered into Alvarez in the box.
Croatia made changes to try counter at halftime but Messi then set up Alvarez in the 69th to put the game firmly out of reach. After squandering a 2-0 lead to then Netherlands before winning in penalties, Argentina's persistence made sure that they wouldn't suffer the same fate again. With a goal and an assist, Messi has taken the lead in the Golden Boot standings from Kylian Mbappe but this game is as much about Messi's supporting cast as it is about his pursuit for the World Cup.
Only 22, Alvarez has had to bide his time at Manchester City due to Erdling Haaland leading the line but he has burst onto the stage during this World Cup. With a brace Tuesday, Alvarez has now scored four goals for Argentina but his work rate has been just as important. Alvarez winning the penalty and pressing defensively won't show up on the stat sheet, but it's so important to how Argentina have secured results.
He was taken out with a chance for a hat trick but it was for a good reason with Paulo Dybala playing his first minutes of the World Cup ahead of the final. Recovering from a hamstring injury with Roma, this is quite a boost for Argentina ahead of a matchup with either Morocco or France on Sunday.
Croatia have had a strong tournament and should be proud of their performance but on this day, Messi's pursuit of a World Cup title has taken center stage.
Here are a few takeaways from the match
Excellence from Messi
Another match, and another dominant performance for Messi. Despite everything that he has done during his career, things feel different with Messi during this World Cup. Dialed in and ready to strike, Messi has risen to challenge for the Golden Boot in Qatar. Creating two chances and taking two shots, Messi may not have been involved often but he picked his spots and made Croatia pay. Messi's assist to Alvarez was excellent and if not for some big saves in the match, it could've been an even bigger win for his Argentina side.
While the team won Copa America in front of an empty stadium, the World Cup feels different since fans will be able to celebrate with the team. All it will take is one more victory and Messi can walk off into the sunset in his last World Cup with a title in hand.
The end of a Modric era
After making it to the final of the 2018 World Cup where Luka Modric won the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament, Croatia has become quite a European power but this World Cup has been a changing of the Guard. Ivan Perisic, Dejan Lovren, and Luka Modric are all 33 years of age or older and this could be the last World Cup for them. Josko Gvardiol did show that there is strength in the next generation, but this team is in the prime or twilight of their careers at 27 or older which makes the next few years interesting to watch.
Modric is an irreplaceable presence so seeing what Croatia does moving forward will be interesting. The team has set a standard that is hard to follow but young players have had true professionals to emulate who they can now aspire to replace. And Croatia has been here before. Their run to the semifinals in 1998 was supposed to be the pinnacle of that generation's accomplishments, which the little country couldn't hope to duplicate. And, well, we've all seen what happened next.
Strength in youth
While Croatia are a team that is aging, youth has led the way for Argentina dung this World Cup. With five starters who are 24 or younger, a team that has usually been one of the older sides in international tournaments has been able to turn it on to power through the World Cup. Nahuel Molina and Cristian Romero anchored a defense that kept Croatia off balance behind Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister in midfield. Then to top things off, Alvarez is banging goals in for fun. This is why even with 2022 being Messi's final World Cup, the future of Argentina is in good hands.
