Messi: 'Argentina won with strength'
"We told each other from the beginning of the tournament how to make people believe in Argentina. We know who we are and what this team can do," Messi said after the match at Lusail Stadium. "Argentina is not the first candidate for the championship, but we won with our strength and overcome the difficulties. This team will continue to fight. We will do our best to win the Gold Cup."
After what they have shown against Japan and then Brazil, Croatia is expected to create a difficult match for Argentina. However, that was only true for about the first 30 minutes. The turning point came in the 34th minute, when Julian Alvarez passed the key into the penalty area, and was fouled by goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. On the spot 11m later, Messi shot like a broken left into the high corner, opening the score for Argentina.
About five minutes later, Alvarez solo played through a series of Croatian players and then shot the toe to double the lead. In the 69th minute, it was Messi's turn to show his technique, tricking the midfielder who was playing on Josko Gvardiol's feet to create an assist for Alvarez to set a 3-0 victory. This is the fourth goal of the 22-year-old striker, including three in the knockout round of the 2022 World Cup.
After the match, Messi was awarded the Best Player award. But he said: "Today, every player played great. But if selected, I would like to give this title to Alvarez. He is extraordinary."
The 35-year-old striker also thanked his family for their support, and reminded his home fans to enjoy the moment Argentina once again participated in the World Cup final.
Argentina started the tournament in Qatar unsatisfactory, losing 1-2 to Saudi Arabia. That defeat caused them to break their 36-match unbeaten streak, and even face a high risk of being eliminated in the group stage. However, in retrospect, Messi thinks that the result helped the team become more united and stronger. They then continuously beat Mexico, Poland, Australia, the Netherlands and Croatia on their way to the final. The South American team has also never been led in this year's tournament.
According to Messi, the coaching staff has made a great contribution to the current success, reflected in the frequent changes of the squad and the application of reasonable tactics for each match. "We have a good coaching team. It's all in their calculations. The coaching staff's analysis for every game comes true. The players are not discouraged when they have to run from the field. We know that controlling the ball is Croatia's forte," Messi said.
Yesterday, Argentina held the ball 39%, shot nine times - while Croatia had 12, but had seven on target and scored three goals.
Messi and his teammates will have five days of rest before the final on December 18. Their opponent is the winner of the other semi-final between France and Morocco.
