[GOAL 리뷰] Messi’s World Cup victory “Last Dance”… Argentina reached the final after 8 years

[골닷컴] Correspondent Kang Dong-hun = ‘Tango Corps’ Argentina and ‘Last Dance’ Lionel Messi (Paris Saint-Germain) now have just one game left before winning the World Cup. They reached the finals by easily defeating “checkered body” Croatia.

According to Opta, an average of sports statistics, Argentina’s chance of winning was 54.1%. However, there were many surprises in this tournament and there were many prospects that it would be a tough match as Croatia showed their potential. In addition, there was also a painful memory of the 0-3 defeat four years ago.

However, the momentum of Messi, the “god of soccer”, which had flowed properly from the quarter-finals was strong. Even on this day he showed a crazy performance registering 1 goal and 1 assist, and led to a great victory. Argentina has managed to advance to the final tournament for the first time in eight years since 2014. It is the stage for the sixth final overall. Now, there is only one victory left to win.

Argentina reached the final by winning 3-0 in the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar against Croatia held at the Lusail Iconic Stadium in Lusail, Qatar at 4:00 (Korean time) on the 14th. Now, the winner of the match between France and Morocco will compete for the championship cup.

Coach Lionel Scaloni (Argentina) proposed a 4-4-2. Messi and Julian Alvarez (Manchester City) competed as the top two. Alexis McAllister (Brighton & Hove Albion) and Rodrigo De Paul (Atletico Madrid) came out on the left and right sides of the second row.

Leandro Paredes (Juventus) and Enzo Fernandez (Benfica) form the midfield. Nicolas Tagliafico (Olympique Lyonnais), Nicolas Otamendi (Benfica), Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur) and Nauel Molina (Atletico Madrid) formed the back line. The goalkeeper was Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa).

Coach Zlatko Daric (Croatia) proposed a 4-3-3. Ivan Perisic (Tottenham Hotspur), Andrei Kramaric (Hoffenheim) and Mario Pasalacci (Atalanta) competed as the top three. Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter) and Luka Modric (Real Madrid) held the back.

From the left, Borna Sosa (Stuttgart), Joshko Gbardiol (Leipzig), Dejan Lovren (Zenit) and Josip Yuranovic (Celtic) form the back four. Goalkeeper gloves have always been worn by Dominic Rivakovic (Dinamo Zagreb).

Both teams played cautiously in the early stages. conducted an exploratory battle. However, a good opportunity came from the Argentines, who took more initiative and put it to good use, even scoring the opening goal. In the 32nd minute of the first half, Alvarez won a penalty, and Messi, who started as a footballer, succeeded.

Argentina’s offensive continued to flow smoothly. And by scoring an extra goal, he completely led the mood. In the 38th minute of the first half, in a counterattack situation, Alvarez breaks through alone from the middle of the line and makes the net tremble. The first half ends with Argentina leading 2-0.

Early in the second half, Croatia gave their attack more weight by sending Orsha (Dinamo Zagreb) and Nikola Vlasic (Turin) off Sosa Pasalić. Five minutes later, Brozovic was removed and Bruno Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb) was brought on.

However, Argentina’s flow could not be stopped easily. 24 minutes into the second half, Messi’s pass was scored by Alvarez, widening the gap even further. Since then, Argentina has replaced a large number of key players to physically take the deal. On the other hand, Croatia launched an all-out offensive, but failed to score a single goal. The game ended in a 3-0 victory for Argentina.