A dazzling performance from Lionel Messi led Argentina to their sixth World Cup final with victory over Croatia at Lusail Stadium.
Messi now gets one last chance to win the silverware that has eluded him in his trophy-laden career. Still, Manchester City’s 22-year-old striker Julian Alvarez also shone as Argentina ensured they would return here on Sunday to face France or Morocco.
Messi looked to be struggling with a hamstring problem early on. Still, Argentina’s little genius recovered enough to break the deadlock from the penalty spot after 34 minutes following Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic’s foul on the marauding Alvarez.
Alvarez doubled Argentina’s lead five minutes later when he took Messi’s header just inside Croatia’s territory and embarked on a slaloming run, aided by fortunate bounces off Josip Juranovic and Borna Sosa, before beating Livakovic.
No fortune was involved in a brilliant third after the break as Messi mesmerised Croatia’s excellent defender Josko Gvardiol on the byeline before playing in Alvarez for the finish.
Messi will now have the opportunity to make amends for the bitter disappointment of losing the 2014 World Cup final to Germany in Rio’s iconic Maracana.
Croatia was undone, like so many before them, by the brilliance of Messi and his young partner Alvarez after making a confident and composed start to this World Cup semi-final.
Their defence was exposed uncharacteristically for Argentina’s first two goals, and there was little even their outstanding young defender Gvardiol could do about Messi’s twisting run that set up the third.
Croatia has had an outstanding tournament once more as the country with a population of only four million followed up their appearance in the final in Russia in 2018 with a place in the last four in Qatar.