Messi, Alvarez help Argentina sweep past Croatia

Messi magic was on full display at Lusail Stadium Tuesday as Argentina cruised to a 3-0 victory over Croatia and booked a place in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final on Sunday, where they will meet France or Morocco.
Lionel Messi scored one from the spot and provided a dream assist to set up a hugely impressive win in the first semi-final of the tournament.
Julian Alvarez was the other big star of the day with two goals - the first coming after a fantastic solo run and the second as he fired in from close range following Messi's mesmerising run down the right.
The first goal came after Argentina won a penalty in the 32nd minute when goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic tried to deny Alvarez, who was through on goal, bringing down the Manchester City forward and getting booked in the process.
Messi stepped up and made no mistake, firing the spot kick into the top corner for his 11th goal in World Cups, the most by any Argentina player in the tournament's history.
Five minutes later, Alvarez picked up the ball near the half line from a Messi pass and went on a magical run through the Croatian defence, going past three defenders and enjoying some lucky rebounds before stabbing the ball past Livakovic for 2-0.
Croatia, who came from behind to beat Japan and Brazil on penalties in the last two rounds, tried to hit back in the second half but their neat passing failed to open any real cracks in a determined Argentine defence.
Messi then burst into life, showing mesmerising control to drive to the byline and pull the ball back for Alvarez to tuck in the third after 69 minutes and wrap up the victory.
Messi equaled German legend Lothar Matthaus' record for the most World Cup appearances with his 25th start in Tuesday's semi-final against Croatia. After the loss in the 2014 final to Germany, this is now his second chance at lifting the coveted trophy.
They will find out who their opponents are tomorrow, when France take on Morocco - the first African or Arab team to qualify for a World Cup semi-final - at Al Bayt Stadium.
Morocco's run to the semis has caught the imagination of a continent and they have been vocally backed by legions of fans in Qatar.