World Cup Daily: Saudi Arabia upset long forgotten with Argentina on cusp of glory

Football

Published 13.12.2022

World Cup Daily: Saudi Arabia upset long forgotten with Argentina on cusp of glory

After every matchday of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Sportsnet.ca’s World Cup Daily weblog will recap the day’s occasions and stay up for the subsequent day’s slate of video games.

Here’s what occurred on Tuesday in Qatar, in case you missed it…

THE RESULT

Argentina 3, Croatia 0 in Lusail: Match report || Match stats

2022 FIFA World Cup

Sportsnet’s reporters and insiders could have full protection of the video games in Qatar throughout each platform.

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MAIN TALKING POINT

Argentina on the cusp of profitable third World Cup

As European champions, Spain entered the 2010 World Cup in South Africa as one of many favourites, however La Roja’s credentials as official contenders have been immediately questioned after opening the event with a 1-0 loss to Switzerland. The Spanish, in fact, rebounded from that setback to hoist the World Cup, changing into the primary nation within the historical past of the lads’s competitors to win all of it after shedding its first recreation.

Twelve years later, Argentina finds itself in an analogous state of affairs. Touted as one the pre-tournament favourites in Qatar, La Albiceleste dropped a 2-1 choice to Saudi Arabia in its first match of the competitors, a outcome that may go down in historical past as one of many greatest upsets ever on the World Cup.

Argentina was in a state of disarray and was rightfully skewered by its media for its poor efficiency in opposition to the Saudis. The South Americans’ World Cup marketing campaign gave the impression to be over earlier than it even had an opportunity to get began.

But coach Lionel Scaloni’s facet has rebounded fairly properly since that stunning loss, going from energy to energy with every passing recreation in Qatar, thanks largely to Lionel Messi and a supporting solid of good kids that embody Enzo Fernández (21), Julián Álvarez (22) and Alexis Mac Allister (23).

On Tuesday, it was the dynamic duo of Messi and Álvarez who terrorized Croatia, with the teen bagging a brace (each arrange by Messi) and the veteran changing a penalty to offer his nation the lead.

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Messi’s aim got here within the thirty fourth minute, so there was loads of time for a Croatian comeback, however it proved to be past Luka Modrić and his cohorts, who had no reply in reply to the surging South American assault.

Argentina was good at instances in its two earlier knockout stage matches, incomes wins over Australia and the Netherlands. But they almost bottled it in each video games, permitting their opponents to stay round and push them to each finish after squandering the possibility to kill them off.

This was one thing fully totally different — a whole, 90-minute efficiency by a staff that was in full management the whole approach via and by no means in critical hazard. With Sunday’s World Cup ultimate looming, Argentina appears to have picked the right time to lastly study the worth of recreation administration in Qatar.

GOAL OF THE DAY

With Argentina sitting on a 2-0 lead, Lionel Messi put the sport away within the 61st minute with a person act of brilliance. The PSG star twisted and turned away from Croatian defender Joško Gvardiol as he peeled off the appropriate wing, earlier than driving into the penalty space and chopping the ball again to Julián Álvarez who slotted residence from the sting of the six-yard field.

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MOMENT OF THE DAY

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SIX PACK OF STATS

• Julián Álvarez has scored in six of his eight begins for Argentina in all competitions (seven objectives), with 4 of his objectives coming at this World Cup.

• Lionel Messi has now scored 11 objectives on the World Cup, essentially the most of any Argentina participant within the competitors’s historical past.

• Messi made his twenty fifth World Cup look on Tuesday, tying Lothar Matthäus for essentially the most appearances within the historical past of the lads’s competitors.

• Croatia’s Luka Modrić is simply the fourth participant to begin six matches at a single World Cup event whereas aged 37 or over, after Brazil’s Nilton Santos in 1962, Italy’s Dino Zoff in 1982 and England’s Peter Shilton in 1990.

• Messi is the primary Argentina participant to attain in three totally different knockout rounds of a World Cup.

• Julián Álvarez (22 years and 316 days) is the youngest participant to attain twice in a World Cup semifinal or ultimate since Pelé in 1958 (17 years and 249 days).

Stats courtesy of Opta

THREE STARS OF THE DAY

1) Lionel Messi (Argentina): The PSG star transformed the penalty that opened the scoring after which arrange two extra objectives to assist ship his nation via to the World Cup ultimate.

2) Julián Álvarez (Argentina): The teen bagged a brace and earned the penalty that led to Argentina’s opening aim. Linked up with Messi to devastating impact all recreation lengthy.

3) Enzo Fernández (Argentina): An all-around stellar efficiency from the midfielder, who accomplished 86.5 per cent of his passes, made 4 tackles and had a shot on course.

LOOKING AHEAD TO WEDNESDAY

France takes on Morocco (2 p.m. ET) in Al Kohr for the appropriate to advance to Sunday’s ultimate in opposition to Argentina/Croatia.

The French enter this recreation because the favourites, however they will’t count on to have a straightforward time of it. France has but to maintain a clear sheet on this event, whereas fullbacks Theo Hernandez and Jules Kounde have didn’t impress.

Hakim Ziyech and Sofiane Boufal of Morocco are two deadly wingers who like to run at defenders, and fullback Achraf Hakimi is without doubt one of the quickest gamers at this event, so the French must attempt to cope with the Africans’ harmful play in vast areas.

John Molinaro is without doubt one of the main soccer journalists in Canada, having coated the sport for over 20 years for a number of media retailers, together with Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is at the moment the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a web site devoted to in-depth protection of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic may be discovered right here.