NEW: The dream lives on for Lionel Messi and Argentina. La Albiceleste secured a 3-0 win over Croatia in their 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal matchup on Tuesday in style.
instead of trying to stretch the defense, as it got Messi more involved to make plays.
Croatia came out in the second half making two tactical changes. The 4-3-3 stayed the same but manager Zlatko Dalic dropped left winger Ivan Perisic into the left back role with Nikola Vlasic and Mislav Orsic coming on for more attacking juice. But matters got worse for Croatia when Brozovic was forced off with a knock, and the midfield quality went down a tad that Argentina got the better of.
Croatia tried knocking on the door when Dejan Lovren had a header opportunity in the 62nd minute, but Emiliano Martinez kept it out and sent the ball forward. The pressure in transition eventually led to Messi setting up Alvarez for theCroatia just didn't offer enough going forward throughout the game to cause real danger, and Argentina closed it out with a back five formation to advance to the World Cup Final for the first time since 2014 when it finished as runner-ups to Germany.
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