World media hats off to Messi's assist
69 minutes, Lionel Messi received the ball on the right side near the middle of the field and confronted Josko Gvardiol - one of the best defenders of the 2022 World Cup. Despite his weak position, Messi still decided to break through. After many turns and changes of direction, the 35-year-old striker led the ball to the edge of the Croatian penalty area and then passed it back with his wrong right foot to let Julian Alvarez set his heart to set a 3-0 victory for Argentina.
"Messi hypnotized the excellent Croatian defender", BBC commented.
However, the British news agency also said that Gvardiol and his teammates had an extraordinary tournament. They insist on Croatia having only four million inhabitants, but reaching the final of the 2018 World Cup and the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Daily Mail said that Messi completely overwhelmed Gvardiol. The British newspaper wrote: "Gvardiol was defeated not once, twice, but three times in Messi's mesmerizing wing. Guardiol is 15 years younger than Messi, but at that time the age gap seemed to reverse. . It seems that Messi is younger, full of confidence, arrogance and vivacity, while Guardiol is like an old warhorse and led into the final battle, unable to keep up with his opponent faster and faster. "
Spanish newspaper AS likened Croatia's defeat to an eternal warrior raising a white flag. And even Luka Modric couldn't handle "the one from Mars, Messi".
On the front page of the Italian newspaper, Gazzetta commented that Messi's genius and Julian Alvarez's sense of goal had ended Croatia. The newspaper also said: "Croatia lost to the ground, showing the limits of its offensive capabilities as well as some moments of uncertainty in defense."
Meanwhile, Marca shows respect for Modric. The club's pro-Real newspaper wrote: "When Modric left the pitch, the fans on Lusail gave a round of applause to one of the best players in football history. Modric's World Cup is a memorable one. At the age of 37, he He led the team to the semi-finals for the second time in a row."
Before the assist for Alvarez to seal a 3-0 win over Croatia, Messi directly scored the opening penalty in the 34th minute. Five minutes later, Alvarez broke through from the middle of the field and shot in the face of goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic double the difference.
Argentina will play the final on December 18, meeting the winner of the France - Morocco pair. It will be their second final in the last three, following a 2014 defeat to Germany in extra time.
Meanwhile, Croatia competed for third place a day before. Since 1998, they have reached the semi-finals three times, only four times behind Germany and France. The red and white checkered shirt team won the bronze medal at the 1998 World Cup and the 2018 runner-up.
