Argentina vs. Croatia, 2022 FIFA World Cup Semifinals: Match thread and discussion

After a few days off, we have reached the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Today, we have a battle of teams that each have made a World Cup final in the past two tournaments, Argentina and Croatia. They are back to hopefully get another shot at lifting the World Cup trophy.

Photo by JUAN MABROMATA/AFP via Getty Images

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Argentina enters this match with a world of expectations upon their shoulders. The 2014 World Cup finalists are hoping to get back to the biggest match in the world to give legend Lionel Messi one last shot at lifting the trophy. Their quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands on penalties was a match that was full of yellow cards and scuffles between the two teams. We saw more of the sinister Messi than fans have been used to seeing in previous tournaments. However, Argentina is confident that with the play of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, they have the offensive firepower to make it back to the final and win it all.

On the other side is Croatia, the 2018 World Cup finalists. Croatia is just used to absorbing pressure in the knockout stage. In the past 2 tournaments, they have been to extra time and/or penalties in 5 of their 6 knockout stage matches. They’ve won them all. The only knockout stage match they’ve played in the past 2 tournaments that didn’t go to extra time was the 2018 final, where they lost to France. So, Croatia is perfectly content on sitting back and taking any chances that come to them, but they also know that if they get to extra time, that’s where they thrive. They won’t play for the draw, but they are very compact defensively, which has frustrated their opponents and limited the open space many teams desire to attack. And, with another legend in Luka Modrić on their team, they have a great chance to not only return to the final, but win it.

The winner of this match will book their place in the World Cup final on Sunday, while the loser will have to settle for the 3rd place match on Saturday. The pressure is high for both teams, and no matter what, one legend of the game will miss out on a chance to go for glory. We get to watch what should be an entertaining match to see which team will play for the trophy and which will play for 3rd place.

How to watch

Argentina vs. Croatia

Location: Lusail Iconic Stadium, Lusail

Kick-off time: 2:00pm Eastern, 11:00am Pacific

Available TV: Fox (English), Telemundo (Spanish)

Available streaming: Fox Sports Go (App/Website), Telemundo (Website), Peacock (Website), FuboTV (Free Trial), SiriusXM FC (Radio)

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