Argentina captain Lionel Messi is less about power and more about finesse. And in the FIFA world cup semifanals against Croatia, he once again displays what ‘Messi Magic’ is all about.
During the 70th minute of the match, Argentina legend produced a piece of magical control to push the ball toward 22-year-old team mate Julian Alvarez, who then tackles it sharply with a simple finish.
Watch the clip here:
Following the match the match, the legendary footballer praised Argentina’s intelligence for win, having shown more guts than flair to beat the Netherlands in the previous round.
“We’re an intelligent squad, we know how to read the game we know how to suffer when necessary, when to press. Every detail counts in every match,” Messi, on a mission to win his first World Cup, told a news conference.
“We knew that sometimes they were not really tidy and would leave space behind.”
Messi made the most of that space to set up Alvarez for the third goal after a superb run to the byline that capped a remarkable performance.
“I am enjoying this a lot. I am feeling really good, strong enough to face every match,” Messi, who drew level with France’s Kylian Mbappe as the tournament’s top scorer with five goals, said.
“In the previous match (against the Netherlands), extra time wasn’t easy. Today we were tired, but we pulled ourselves up to earn this victory.
Messi became Argentina’s record scorer at World Cups with his third penalty of the tournament taking him to 11 goals in total — one more than Gabriel Batistuta. He also tied the record for most appearances at the World Cup by playing for the 25th time, the same number as Lothar Matthäus of Germany.
The Messi-led side will take on the winner of France versus Morocco match. This will be Messi’s second final in the tournament and the last FIFA World Cup as he confirms his retirement.
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