Argentina clashed heads with Croatia at the Lusail Iconic Stadium earlier today as they hoped to win and book a place in the final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The Argentine players made a dominant start to the game and got their noses ahead in the 34th minute courtesy of Lionel Messi’s penalty. Julian Alvarez scored a magnificent solo goal just five minutes later to double Argentina’s advantage at the half-time break.
Alvarez killed the game off in the 69th minute when he scored with a tidy strike from close range after some excellent wing play from Lionel Messi. The contest ended with the South American nation earning an impressive 3-0 win which ensured their place in the final of the World Cup.
Let’s take a look at how each Argentina player performed during the match against Croatia.
GK: Emiliano Martinez – 7/10
The Argentina keeper made a couple of decent saves at the back and earned a well-deserved clean sheet today.
RB: Nahuel Molina – 6.5/10
He was solid when defending inside his half but was a bit sloppy with his passing.
CB: Cristian Romero – 7/10
Romero cleared the danger when needed and did enough to secure the clean sheet.
CB: Nicolas Otamendi – 7/10
Otamendi was a rock at the back and performed well to keep the Croatia attackers at bay during the 90 minutes.
LB: Nicolas Tagliafico – 7/10
He earned the ball back a few times and even put his foot through the ball when needed. However, Tagliafico offered very little going forward.
RM: Rodrigo de Paul – 6.5/10
De Paul worked hard at both ends of the field but was replaced in the 73rd minute.
CM: Leandro Paredes – 7/10
He anchored the midfield with conviction and was a threat in the final third.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 7.5/10
Fernandez got stuck in with some solid tackles and caused a few problems for the opposition defenders.
LM: Alexis Mac Allister – 7/10
He came back to defend when his teammates needed him and was a threat in the final third.
ST: Lionel Messi – 8.5/10
Messi caused all sorts of problems for the Croat defenders and has got a goal and an assist to his name. He deserves a lot of credit for producing a moment of brilliance before setting up Alvarez’s second goal.
ST: Julian Alvarez – 8.5/10
He scored a wonderful solo goal to double his nation’s lead in the 39th minute before killing the contest off with another strike in the 69th minute.
Substitutes:
CB: Lisandro Martinez – 6/10
He kept things solid at the back.
ST: Paulo Dybala – 6.5/10
Dybala made one key chance in the final third.
CM: Exequiel Palacios – 6/10
He added more energy to Lionel Scaloni’s midfield.
ST: Angel Correa – N/A
Correa didn’t get enough time to make an impact.
CB: Juan Foyth – N/A
He came on for the final few minutes of the game.
