“To the final” - Lionel Messi makes emotional Instagram post after spearheading Argentina to 2022 FIFA World Cup final
Lionel Messi is only one step away from reaching the crowning moment of his glorious career as Argentina qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup final after their semi-final win against Croatia on 13 December. The legendary striker has now shared his emotions with fans through social media.
Messi turned the heat on Vatreni during the game. La Albiceleste had a slow start to the game as Zlatko Dalic's team dominated the majority of proceedings. However, things changed rapidly after Julian Alvarez won a penalty for his team after the half-hour mark. Messi blasted the ball home from the spot in the 34th minute, leaving Dominik Lavikovic in despair.
Alvarez added a spectacular second five minutes later. He tore apart the Croatia defense before finding the back of the net. While there were one or two fortunate touches involved in his run from the midfield, nothing can be taken away from the Manchester City attacker's tenacity.
Messi made Josko Gvardiol look silly when he provided one of the assists of the tournament for Alvarez. The 22-year-old striker found the back of the net from close range inside the penalty area (69th minute).
The Argentine maestro took to his social media after the game to post an inspiring message.
"TO THE FINAL!!!!! We came back to get strength to play another great game. Thank you very much to everyone who trusted this group!!! Let's go Argentina damn!!!!!!"
Luka Modric blasted referee for awarding Argentina the penalty which Lionel Messi scored from
Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot for Argentina. However, Vatreni captain Luka Modric was far from happy with the decision from Italian referee Daniele Orsato. He claimed it was wrongfully awarded.
The veteran midfielder also added that the penalty goal broke his team's spirit. Modric said (via Bola VIP):
"We were doing just fine until the penalty, which for me, it shouldn't have been awarded. I don't usually talk about referees, but today, it's impossible not to do so. He's one of the worst I know and I'm not talking only about today, because I had him before and I never had a good memory of him. He's a disaster. Even so, I want to congratulate Argentina, I don't want to take credit away from them. They deserve to be in the final. But that first penalty destroyed us."
Luka Modric comes off for what may be his last World Cup game.
A standing ovation for a legend 👏 https://t.co/TEL37wtBYX
The penalty came about as Julian Alvarez charged with the ball towards the goal with only the goalkeeper Dominik Lavikovic in front of him. Alvarez tapped the ball to the right of Lavikovic, but then crashed into the goalkeeper.
The referee deemed this collision as a foul on the part of the goalie and awarded the penalty. It has since become a big topic of discussion.