World Cup

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World Cup | Semi-Finals

Dec 13, 2022 at 7pm UK

Lusail Iconic Stadium

Argentina
3 - 0
Croatia

Messi (34' pen.), Alvarez (39', 69')
Romero (68'), Otamendi (71')

FT(HT: 2-0)

Kovacic (32'), Livakovic (32')

Argentina vs. Croatia: Who could be the key men in World Cup semi-final?

By Barney Corkhill, Editor

Published: December 12 2022 | 19:07

Last updated: December 13 2022 | 07:31

Ahead of Tuesday's World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Croatia, Sports Mole looks at which players could prove to be decisive for both sides in Qatar.

The first 2022 World Cup semi-final takes place at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on Tuesday, with Argentina and Croatia both vying for a place in the final of the competition in Qatar.

Both sides have recent experience of success at this stage, Argentina making it all the way to the final in 2014 courtesy of victory over Netherlands in the last four, and Croatia doing the same four years later by virtue of their triumph over England.

The European outfit will therefore be bidding to reach back-to-back World Cup finals - something only three nations from Europe have ever managed before, the most recent of which was Germany in 1990.

However, they will go into the game as underdogs against Argentina, who have never lost a World Cup semi-final and are bidding to reach the biggest game in football for a sixth time - a tally only Germany can beat.

Here, Sports Mole looks at which players could be decisive for both sides.

ARGENTINA - LIONEL MESSI

Lionel Messi celebrates as Argentina progress to the semi finals on December 9, 2022 © Reuters

No prizes for guessing who Argentina's main man is, but even at 35 years old it is impossible to overlook the threat of Lionel Messi heading into this match.

Arguably the greatest player of all time is going for his crowning glory in Qatar to finally emulate his compatriot Diego Maradona by leading Argentina to World Cup glory, and so far he has been the main reason when the South Americans have made it this far.

In his five appearances so far, Messi has scored four goals and registered two assists, and more records are on the line on Tuesday.

Barring a late injury, the Paris Saint-Germain star is certain to equal Lothar Matthaus's long-standing record of 25 World Cup matches, while his penalty in the ill-tempered quarter-final win over Netherlands saw him equal Gabriel Batistuta as Argentina's leading goalscorer at World Cups with 10.

The real moment of Messi magic in the previous round came for his assist for the opening goal, though, and should he create another goal for a teammate on Tuesday he would equal Maradona's record of eight assists at World Cups.

Indeed, his man-of-the-match display against Netherlands means that he has both scored and assisted in three separate World Cup matches in total, and should he do that again in the semi-final then he would become the first player to do that in four separate games on the grandest stage.

As is part of deal with being the most marked man in football, Messi has often had to bide his time to make his impact in matches at this World Cup, but a genius like him is always capable of finding a bit of space and making the difference - as he showed with his deadlock-breaking strikes against Mexico and Australia.

There is no longer any secret to what Messi can do and the threat he poses; whether Croatia can do anything to stop him is a different matter entirely.

CROATIA - DOMINIK LIVAKOVIC

Dominik Livakovic in action for Croatia on September 25, 2022 © Reuters

One of the men charged with stopping Messi will be Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who has been arguably the standout shot-stopper in the tournament so far.

Croatia have only conceded three goals in their five games at this tournament - and never more than once in a game - yet they have not scored the first goal in any of their games despite making it all the way to the semis.

With a statistic like that, an in-form goalkeeper can make all the difference, particularly in tight knockout games when it could all come down to a penalty shootout.

It is in those shootouts where Livakovic has really shone in Qatar, saving four spot kicks across the two knockout wins over Japan and Brazil so far.

Remarkably, three of those came against the Japanese as the Dinamo Zagreb keeper became only the third player in World Cup history to achieve that feat, unsurprisingly earning him man of the match.

Livakovic was named man of the match again for his display as Croatia stunned Brazil in the quarter-finals, saving another spot kick as the favourites were dumped out of the competition.

Given Messi has already missed a penalty in this tournament, and has an underwhelming record from the spot considering his greatness in just about every other facet of the game, Zlatko Dalic's side will no doubt fancy their chances if it goes all the way on Tuesday.

Of course, plenty has to happen before getting to that stage, but with Argentina boasting a number of dangerous attacking players in addition to Messi, the performance of the man between the sticks could be decisive if they are to pull off another upset.

A key player debate for Croatia also cannot pass without the mention of Luka Modric, who at 37 continues to prove his world-class ability and could dictate the midfield in order to give the underdogs the best chance of victory.