Argentina stuns Croatia; book first berth to the finale
HY News
14 December, 2022 09:15 am IST
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Two goals from Julian Alvarez and one from Lionel Messi guided Argentina to a 3-0 win over Croatia in the first semi-final of the FIFA World Cup 2022 at the Lusail Stadium on Wednesday (IST).
With this win, the Argentina team has stormed into the final of the tournament and will be facing either France or Morocco. This is Argentina's sixth entry into the World Cup final overall and their second in eight years.
The loss has closed the doors for the 2018 runners-up Croatia, and they will now be facing the loser of the second semi-final in the third-place play-off.
Messi, 35, who suffered defeat to Germany in the 2014 final, is desperate to crown his extraordinary career by winning his first World Cup and bringing Argentina a third title to add to those won in 1978 and 1986.
It was Messi's fifth goal of the tournament, making him joint top-scorer with France's Kylian Mbappe. His 11th career goal -- in a record-equalling 25th World Cup appearance -- also took him past Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's all-time World Cup top scorer.
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