AArgentina are just one step away from winning their first World Cup title since 1986. And Lionel Messi just one last win to emulate perhaps the greatest football figure of the past century as captain and outstanding player of his time. This Tuesday, Messi at least did everything to crown his career with the biggest title – and at least as far as this trophy is concerned, to be able to be mentioned in the same breath as Diego Maradona.
In Argentina’s well-deserved 3-0 win against Croatia, Messi ensured the surprising lead of the favorites with a safely converted penalty (34th minute). In the 39th minute he prepared the 2-0 through Álvarez with an opening pass. And in the second half it was Álvarez again who, with his second goal to make it 3-0 (69th minute), left no doubt about the winner of the evening. And Messi doesn’t care who the outstanding player of this World Cup is so far. With a ravishing solo, he had again done the groundwork in a way that no other player conjures up with such regularity on the pitch.
“There are so many things going through my head. I don’t even know how to describe my feelings,” Messi later said. “When I see these people, the people, the families, this fan base that has been with us all along. Now we’re in the final, that’s what we wanted. It was incredibly fun to get this far. We have to enjoy it.” Álvarez agreed: “We deserve it. It’s a great game that we made. It’s a great joy for everyone. We are really looking forward to the final.”
How to stop this Lionel Messi?
It wasn’t initially a thrilling or high-quality semi-final between Argentina and Croatia. The game was initially played too cautiously for that – and then, before it could have really started, it was as good as decided within a few minutes. Two scenes in the first half were enough for coach Scaloni’s team to quickly illustrate the difference between two teams that had previously had strong defenses at this World Cup, but had so far impressed in different ways.
After the 2-0 Argentina was never in serious danger of being able to lose this lead – as in the quarter-finals against the Netherlands in the second half – because the Croatians didn’t have the playing class for it. Nor did the penetrating power in the box that the tall Dutchmen showed in the quarter-finals when they forced extra time and a penalty shoot-out.
And then Croatia broke in: Argentina scored three times in a row.
:
Image: AP
Goalkeeper Martinez was hardly examined seriously after the change. After the late lesson in the quarter-finals, the Argentine defense was far more reliable this time. Now the Argentinians are waiting for their opponent this Wednesday (8 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker for the soccer World Cup, on ZDF and on MagentaTV) in the game between world champions France and outsiders Morocco, who after losing the World Cup finals in 1990 and 2014 (each against Germany) before the third triumph after 1978 and 1986 is still in the way.
How to stop Messi? That was also the decisive question for Croatia, which it should have solved in order to get back into the World Cup final like four years ago. And in all probability it will also be for world champion France or challenger Morocco on Sunday. In any case, the Croatians gave a simple answer in the semi-finals: just let it come – but then in the last third block the passing paths as well as possible without giving the Argentines too much space at other points of attack. That worked quite well at the beginning, especially since the Croatians had no intention of giving up the field to the favorites and entrenching themselves in their own half. In the first 20 minutes, coach Dalic’s team had 65 percent possession of the ball.
It was initially a concentrated, but not thrilling game, in which Argentina then took the lead out of nowhere after a good half hour. With a long pass from their own half, the South Americans were able to overturn the Croatian defense far too easily. Álvarez had a clear path in a central position and put the ball past goalkeeper Livakovic at full speed, who unintentionally but punishably brought the striker down in the penalty area. Messi scored safely from the penalty spot to make it 1-0 for Argentina (34th minute).
Just one attack later, in the 39th minute, he almost decided the game for the two-time world champion. Messi provided crucial groundwork with a pass to Álvarez after he prevailed in midfield in a tackle and the Croatians, who had advanced too far from a corner kick, were countered. Álvarez was fortunate in that the ball bounced back at his feet in the penalty area on two Croatian attempts to defend, until he was finally down to Livakovic, who had no chance against the shot from close range.
And then it wasn’t too far off for Argentina’s third goal to come just four minutes later after a corner by Messi. But this time Livkovic scraped the ball off the line after a Mac Allister header. Messi had long since taken over the game at this point, and his opening goal was the starting shot. And then his preparation for the second and third goal was the addition of a player the likes of which Argentina haven’t actually seen since Maradona’s time.
