Lionel Messi produced a spectacular display to help Argentina book their place in the World Cup finals with a 3-0 win over Croatia on Tuesday.
Messi opened the scoring with a powerfully hit penalty on 34 minutes — becoming Argentina’s all-time leading goal scorer at World Cup finals — and shortly after Alvarez completed a direct solo run through the heart of the Croatia defence before tapping home to double Argentina’s lead before half-time.
Alvarez added the side’s third, thanks in part to a signature run from Messi who used his change of speed to guide past Josko Gvardiol before sliding the ball back to Alvarez for an easy finish