In an intriguing semifinal matchup at the Lusail Iconic Stadium, Argentina will play Croatia as Lionel Messi tries to win his first World Cup. Given that Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi’s longtime rival, is eliminated from contention following Portugal’s shocking quarterfinal loss to Morocco, this will undoubtedly be Messi’s final opportunity to take home football’s top honor.
Argentina defender Nicolas Tagliafico stated that Messi gives Argentina a “special advantage” in the lead-up to the game.
How to watch the semi-final?
The match between Argentina and Croatia will commence at 19:00 GMT on Tuesday, December 13th. The match will be broadcasted by ITV and Eurosport.
The Head to Head
There have only ever been 4 previous encounters between the two countries, with two wins each.
Nothing separates them in either of those two World Cup games, where Croatia won shockingly 3-0 in the group stage last year. That outcome served as payback for Argentina’s 1-0 victory in the 1998 group stage.
The other two games were friendly international competitions.
