FIFA World Cup 2022: Croatia vs Argentina semi final preview

Spread the love

Rate this post

FIFA World Cup 2022: Croatia vs Argentina semi final preview

The opening Qatar 2022 semi-final is about to begin. Wednesday morning (Indian time), Argentina, the defending World Cup champions, will face Croatia, the tournament’s runners-up. Argentina is seeking its first championship since 1986 as well as the first for their star player and captain, Lionel Messi.


If Argentina wins, they will be one step closer to winning the World Cup, which has eluded them for the past 36 years. On the other hand, if Croatia wins, they will have defeated both of the South American heavyweights competing in this edition—Brazil and Argentina—and advance to their second straight World Cup final.

They were defeated by eventual winners France in 2018. The last time Argentina appeared in a World Cup final was in 2014, when they fell to eventual champions Germany.

With victories in the quarterfinal penalty shootouts, both teams advanced to the semifinals. The heated quarterfinal between Argentina and the Netherlands saw a record 17 yellow cards.

Against the defeated finalists from 2018, Lionel Messi, aged 35, will try to lead Argentina into the final at Lusail Stadium for the second time in eight years.

Messi, who lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, is eager to emulate another Argentine hero, the late Diego Maradona, and cap off an exceptional career by eventually winning the World Cup.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward played a key role in Friday’s dramatic quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands, which saw a tournament record 18 yellow cards issued and players from both teams engage in a scuffle as the referee battled to regain control.

The game ended with Argentina players rushing out to celebrate their penalty shootout victory while attempting to insult their upset Dutch opponents.

The 34-year-old veteran Angel Di Maria’s fitness is in doubt because he has mostly been used as a substitute in the competition despite coming back from an injury.

Messi, who is 35 and likely playing in his final World Cup, is driven to complete his enormous collection of major championships by winning the final one, FIFA World Cup 2022 but he also carries the nation’s hopes and dreams.

Croatia continues to surprise


Croatia hasn’t won a knockout game in regular time at a major tournament since they finished third at the 1998 World Cup, when they defeated pre-tournament favorites Brazil and Japan in penalty shootouts to advance.

Four years ago, a nation of 3.9 million people shocked the football world by making it to the final, where France shattered their hopes with a 4-2 victory.

Croatia has once again beaten the odds to stand on the verge of a second straight final, with Real Madrid playmaker Modric still serving as the team’s captain at the age of 37.

This Croatian team absorbs everything. They take a lot of pressure under Luka Modri’s leadership, and then, just when you think they’re about to collapse, they wrangle themselves for one last squeeze.

Zlatko Dalic’s club is bursting with confidence and ready for more, FIFA World Cup 2022 with no players now facing suspension and no active injuries following the return of defender Borna Sosa.

While Mario Pasalic is anticipated to preserve his spot in attack, super-sub Bruno Petkovic, who scored the equalizer against Brazil, might reclaim his starting position over Andrej Kramaric.

The matchup between two aggressive midfields will take place on Tuesday night. Goals may be few, but the game will have a high genius factor with Messi and Modric on the field.

Read more


Spread the love
Maznur Rahman
Maznur Rahman
Articles: 287