Argentina won a ticket to the semi-finals when they beat the Netherlands, after a penalty shootout. Lionel Messi and his teammates made things difficult for themselves when they took a 2-0 lead, but then equalized 2-2. This is the 5th time in history that Albiceleste have qualified for the World Cup semi-finals, 4 previous times in 1990, 1990 and 2014, they have reached the finals.
The Croatian team has broken the scenario of the dream semi-final between Argentina and Brazil. Coach Zlatko Dalic's team has excellently won the Selecao series after a penalty shootout of 11m (1 1-1 draw after 120 minutes). Except for the 2-1 victory over the Netherlands in the third place match of the 1998 World Cup, the Croatian team has not had any wins in official time and played extra matches in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup knockout rounds.
Luka Modric and his teammates are determined to repeat their achievements in the World Cup finals this year. This is an achievement that not many teams have achieved such as Italy, the Netherlands, Germany... Croatia's confidence is well-founded because in the previous 10 knockout World Cup matches, they have scored.
In history, Argentina has met Croatia twice at the World Cup, both in the group stage. In 1998, Albiceleste beat their opponents 1-0. And 4 years ago, Dalic's team defeated Argentina 3-0. Lionel Scaloni's team is having a very good attack, scoring an average of 2 goals/match, in the last 4 matches of the World Cup. In the last 14 matches in all competitions, Messi and his teammates have scored.
Messi is Argentina's biggest inspiration. The superstar born in 1987 has scored 4 goals, including 2 matches in which he has just scored and assisted (Mexico, Netherlands). The Argentine captain has created 16 chances in this year's tournament, a number only behind Antoine Griezmann (17). With his class, Messi promises to shine in the semi-final.
The Argentina - Croatia match also attracted attention with a direct competition between 2 excellent goalkeepers. Croatia's Dominik Livakovic has successfully blocked 4 penalty shootouts at the 2022 World Cup, a feat only achieved by Danijel Subasic (Croatia, 2018) and Sergio Goycochea (Argentina, 1990).
Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez successfully blocked two penalty kicks from two Dutch players Virgil van Dijk and Steven Berghuis in the quarter-finals. He was also a hero in Argentina's Copa America 2021 semi-final against Colombia, where he saved 3 penalties in a penalty shootout.
The Argentina vs Croatia match will take place at 2:00 a.m. on December 14.
