Play it one more time, Leo. All of Argentina dreams awake, from Tierra del Fuego to Salta and Jujuy, with the adventures of Messi. For the sixth time, the albiceleste will play the final of a World Cup. In Qatar, the Flea tries to rise to the skies and sit next to Diego. Her face, possessed, speaks for itself. And her soccer adds the notes to a symphony that walks packed toward Olympus. She passed the Argentine momentum over the Croatian resilience, which will not be able to repeat the final. That honor is reserved for Messi's boys.
And that was the first semifinal, a slow cooker duel. Croatia commanded, dominated the ball with pause, without apparent ambition other than the minutes passed. Comfortable in the cave, Argentina rocked patiently, waiting for her moment. By then, Messi was still walking. Observing. Analyzing. Without wasting energy unnecessarily. After a quarter of an hour, he stood in the center of the field, bent down and touched his left thigh. The scare was huge and he trembled to Perito Moreno. Perhaps that passive attitude, with the signature of a predator, was nothing more than a facade in the face of physical problems that put all of Argentina on edge.
But the duel continued and the fire was rising in temperature. The albiceleste put in a spoon and tasted the soup. It was still missing a bit. This was certified by Livakovic, deflecting a good shot from Enzo Fernández from the front, the first Argentine attempt. The ball was Croatian but it avoided Modric and that avoided trouble for Dibu Martínez.
After half an hour of cooking, Argentina decided it was time to serve. Mac Allister found Julián Álvarez, whose shot collided with Livakovic, but his body also crashed into the Croatian goalkeeper. Orsato did not hesitate and pointed to the eleven meters. It was now Messi's turn to show if his left leg was in good condition or not. The network suffered the wrath of Rosario and blessed the first of the night. Arms in the air, the Boys rumbled in Lusail. La Pulga, lame or not, was already the top Argentine scorer in the history of the World Cup (11), advancing Batistuta.
She had liked the recipe and the albiceleste decided to repeat it, this time with a special touch. The first turn was given by Messi again, with a subtle touch that gave Julián Álvarez the full advantage. The young striker grabbed the ball in his own half and began to ride like a steed through Patagonia with Livakovic between his eyebrows. He reached the area, ignored the two teammates who threw diagonals at him, dribbled past two Croatian defenders, received Sosa's rebound and signed the second. The play would have been signed between Maradona and Messi. The night was beginning to be special.
Scaloni's team had deciphered the code that opened the door to the final and was preparing to open it. Croatia did not offer much resistance, a circumstance that with Dalic's team does not allow drawing too many conclusions, and Argentina tried to give it that final touch. Livakovic boycotted him with a save of those that have catapulted him to stardom in Qatar before Mac Allister's header. Messi had been master of ceremonies for a while, with a recital of technique and subtlety of those to record. It was evident that his left leg continued to bother him, but it was already impossible to decipher if it was all part of his last great work, doubts that he fed with his magic tricks in the second half.
Because despite the gestures, Leo appeared in the green after the break and held out until the end, including the celebration jumps with his people. He no longer hurt at all. A World Cup semifinal would have been played on one leg. He was the first to try to certify the passport, but Livakovic again prolonged the uncertainty, the preferred scenario for Croatia, which this time he did not know how to turn around. More forced than convinced, Dalic had made a couple of offensive changes but that had not just started.
Messi did not let go of the baton and continued directing. He had one last secret ingredient. Lusail was a party, anticipating what was to come next. Argentina was pure momentum, the physical waste of Scaloni's men was spectacular. Nobody wanted surprises. So Messi chose to take possession of the ball, turn to the right and face Gvardiol, one of the best central defenders in the entire World Cup. But first with his left leg, then with his right, the Croatian defender danced, with Leo passing like a man possessed by him, giving up the third to Julián Álvarez with his right. Lusail still had time to pay homage to Modric, perhaps in his last Croatian work.
The sixth final of Argentina was already drawn. Messi will have a new opportunity on Sunday to embroider his long-awaited star, to finish his crusade. To levitate and sit with Diego.
3 - Argentina: Emiliano Martinez; Mill (Foyth, m. 86), Rosemary, Otamendi, Tagliafico; De Paul (Palaces, m. 74), Walls (Lysandro Martinez, m. 62), Enzo Fernandez, Mac Allister (Leash, m. 86); Messi, Julian Alvarez (Dybala, m. 74).
0 - Croacia: Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa (Orsic, m. 46); Brozovic (Petkovic, m. 50), Kovacic; Pasalic (Vlasic, m. 46), Modric (Majer, m. 81), Perisic; Kramaric.
Goals: 1-0, m. 34: Messi, penalty. 2-0, m. 39: Julian Alvarez. 3-0, m. 69: Julian Alvarez.
Referee: Daniele Orsato (Italy). He admonished the Croatians Livakovic (m. 32) and Kovavic (m. 32) and the Argentines Romero (m. 69) and Otamendi (m. 71). He sent off Mario Mandzukic, a member of the Croatian coaching staff, for a direct red card in the 34th minute.
Incidents: match corresponding to the semifinals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, played at the Lusail stadium in front of 88,966 spectators.
