Blog

This article is written by my good friend Toluwa Famuyide. Go follow his Instagram @toluwafamuyide !!

Amid the glitter and gold of an extravagant World Cup semifinal between Argentina and Croatia, there is a fixation to see the legendary Lionel Messi finally enter a category that only football’s elite have managed. All that stood in the way of getting to the final of this illustrious tournament was a 36-year-old smooth criminal from Zadar. In some ways, this was a fragment of El Classico, and although he’s moved on from the Catalan side, Messi ultimately won the battle with his Madrid foe. A ruthlessly dispatched penalty in the 34th minute from Argentina’s captain gave Argentina the much-deserved lead; how the penalty was given was controversial, but everything at this tournament stage will be under intense scrutiny. Whether or not Alvarez’s little flick over Livakovic was going in, the latter completely wiped out the Argentine striker. The second goal came from a lung-busting run from Alvarez, which resulted in an almost Fifa-like goal. Alvarez delivered the dagger after Messi’s brilliant run down the right gave Alvarez the easiest of finishes. Speaking of which, he was fantastic today. His nonstop hounding of the ball, great composure on it as well, and a real predatory instinct in front of goal set Alvarez apart. Watching him break down defenders, and put two goals past one of the best goalkeepers in the tournament, was truly something to marvel at. 

Okay, with all of that out of the way, let’s get into the top 3 takeaways from today’s match.

Fun Fact: With this victory, Argentina gets to the World Cup Final for the 6th time in their history. 

Compact Argentina, Sloppy Croatia

The story of the game was who’s defense would crack first. The midfield battle is always essential when Luka Modrić is around, but this game had a huge emphasis on defensive stability. On one side, Josko Gvardiol has been in fine form and has become quite the hot commodity amongst Europe’s elite clubs. On the other, Tottenham has been well pleased with the fiery passion and skill that Cristian Romero has displayed so far this season. Both were under the challenge of commanding their backline, but Gvardiol and company had their work cut out for them. This was especially prevalent during Argentina’s third goal, where Messi punished Gvardiol for defending too tight. 

Argentina executed their game plan perfectly; dogged defense mixed with organization and, of course, a magician who can wave his wand at any moment. Unrelenting pressure on the Croats from the first whistle to the last, and the understanding of when to drop off and maintain shape, gave Argentina the platform to counterattack to devastating effect. Croatia ultimately lacked invention when the ball was away from Modric’s feet and lacked real composure in their half. Unfortunately, on a grand stage like this against the best of the best, mental lapses and heavy touches only result in the concession of a goal. It was a far cry from the same team that upset Brazil on penalties, but I always felt that Argentina had a more barbaric and ruthless attacking approach than Brazil. 

This match proved that. Despite the blunder vs Saudi Arabia, Argentina has grown in their confidence and this was surely their best match of the tournament. It also proved how lucky this generation is to have witnessed a player like Messi. Despite walking for 80% of the time he is on the pitch, it feels like he doesn’t have to do anything but switch on and Argentina suddenly looks deadly. It is safe to say, however, that Argentina is in safe hands, with the emergence of young and hungry talent such as Julian Alvarez, Alexis MacAllister and Lisandro Martinez. 

Magisterial Messi

The great Roy Hudson can give you an unlimited amount of phrases to describe the excellence of Lionel Messi. Today Messi looked slippery, an ode to NBA great Stephen Curry, who just glides off defenders with ease. The Croatians just could not contain Messi, who despite his stature and body language on the pitch, is just an extraordinary specimen. The absolute control of his body weight makes him appear stronger than he actually is; his dribbling is so precise that being too impatient will lead to doom. His playmaking prowess, his professional attitude and his God-given talent just shine through at the grandest of moments. The longer the game went on, the more Messi grew into it, and the more Croatia grew completely dejected. 

Say what you want about the man, he is MAGISTERIAL. The only thing left for him to do is to lead his country to a World Cup victory. What do you think? Can he do it?

Timeless Modrić

Being taken off at the 80th minute most likely signified the end of Luka Modric’s illustrious international career. From watching him change the role of a central midfielder in the mid-2000s at Spurs, to becoming one of the best this generation will ever see at Real Madrid, Modrić is just timeless. Like the Greek Titan Kronos, Modrić always seems to have more time on the ball than anyone on the pitch. Pressure doesn’t faze him; in fact, he seems to revel in the pressure. But Croatia needed to understand today that it would take more than Luka Modrić to down Argentina. 

Take nothing away from him, he was just as unplayable as Messi was. On the ball he was immense, but this is nothing new. Off the ball was where I was extremely impressed with Modrić. Notoriously a hard-working midfielder, he left it all on the pitch. The epitome of a box-to-box midfielder was visualized today when Modrić lost the ball deep in Argentina’s half, yet 20 seconds later he was seen in his own box, critically clearing the ball away from the clutches of Julian Alvarez. 

Croatia still has the opportunity to have back-to-back top 3 finishes in the World Cup… something that no one could have predicted. They could have made history tonight by making it to consecutive World Cup finals, but fell tremendously short. Individually, one thing is clear: the difference between Messi and Modrić tonight was how their support took their chances. 

Argentina will either face France/Morocco in the World Cup Final. Stay tuned for more coverage.