Inspired Alvarez carries Argentina to final

With surging runs and a striker's instinct, Julian Alvarez carried Argentina into another World Cup final.

Lionel Messi and the 22-year-old Alvarez were a pair of 5-feet-6(1.70-meter) predators in a partnership that put to rest any hopes Croatia had of reaching back-to-back finals.

The younger of the pair rose to the challenge on soccer's biggest stage with a huge performance on Tuesday, earning a penalty kick converted by the 35-year-old Messi before scoring twice to maybe even outshine his teammate — one of the greatest players the game has ever seen — in a 3-0 victory at Lusail Stadium.

Alvarez became the youngest player to score twice in a World Cup semifinal match since a 17-year-old Pele scored a hat-trick for Brazil in 1958.

No wonder Messi held Alvarez in a playful headlock after his first goal and hugged him hard after the second.

"The match from Julian was excellent, not only because he scored two goals, but because he helped our midfielders," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. "He showcased an excellent game for his age."

A tightly fought first half-hour was entirely turned upside down by Alvarez's runs, barreling at speed into and through challenges in a devastating five-minute spell. When it was over, Croatia's players had been left strewn behind him on the turf, trailing by two goals, with their hopes of another World Cup final in ruins.

Instead, Argentina gave Messi a second chance to play for a World Cup title. He and his teammates lost to Germany in the 2014 final.

Until Alvarez changed the game, Croatia controlled much of the play with its usual neat passing in and around midfield, leaving Argentina's attack little to work with.

Alvarez was suddenly alert to creating danger when Croatia midfielder Luka Modric got in a tangle and the ball came loose for Enzo Fernandez to loop a high pass over the defense.

Alvarez was quickly clear and bearing down on goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, an imposing figure at any time and yet more so rushing from his goal. Although a deft shot past Livakovic did not reach the goal, Alvarez drew a foul from the hard contact to earn the penalty which Messi converted.

Minutes later, Alvarez sparked to life when Argentina cleared a Croatia corner, took the ball in his stride just before halfway and ran directly at the defense. The surging run seemed to surprise Croatia's fullbacks as first Josip Juranovic and then Borna Sosa fell backwards while taking wild swipes at the ball as Alvarez ran through them and once more at Livakovic.

This time, the Croatia keeper stayed back and Alvarez lashed his shot into the net from close range with a momentum that took him over Livakovic's body.

"It was a nice goal," Alvarez said. "I don't usually run with the ball a lot but the situation presented itself."

Alvarez ran toward the corner to celebrate and Messi chased him down, grabbing him a headlock like a playful big brother.

The pair teamed up again in the 69th minute, needing only each other to pass five defenders, mostly because of Messi's intricate dribble to the endline for a pass into Alvarez's path for a simple finish.

Messi joined Kylian Mbappe with a tournament-leading five goals. Mbappe will get a chance for more on Wednesday when France plays Morocco in the other semifinal match.

Alvarez now has four goals — not bad for a player who didn't even make the starting lineup until Argentina's third game in the group stage.

He will surely be by Messi's side again on Sunday when they return to Lusail Stadium for the final.

Magical Messi

Before long, Messi was producing perhaps the best performance of his record-tying 25 appearances at the World Cup.

Messi is back in soccer's biggest match on his mission to win the game's greatest prize for the first time. At 35, he could hardly be playing any better.

"A lot is going through my head — it's very emotional seeing all of this," Messi said in a post-match interview on the field as he looked up at Argentina's celebrating, scarf-waving supporters. "To see the fans — 'the family' — during the whole tournament was so incredible. We're going to the final, which is what we wanted."

It will be Messi's second World Cup final — Argentina lost the other one to Germany in 2014 — in what might be his last appearance at the tournament.

The stage is set for a player widely regarded as one of the game's best, if not the absolute best, to go out on the ultimate high.

He is thrilling his legion of fans along the way.

"I am honored to train him (Messi) and see him play," said Scaloni, who was in tears in the post-match celebrations. "Every time you see him play, it's a huge source of motivation for his teammates, fans and the whole world."

Croatia failed in its bid to reach a second straight World Cup final after conceding two goals in a five-minute span from the 34th, just when the team was looking comfortable at Lusail Stadium and Messi was raising concerns by rubbing his hamstring.

Maybe it was a ruse. Messi was soon toying with his opponents in a way only he can and put Argentina ahead by lifting his penalty into the top corner after Alvarez was taken out by Livakovic after clipping the ball past the Croatia goalkeeper.

Argentina maintained its record of never having lost in the World Cup semifinals and has reached the final for the sixth time.

Those dark days after losing to Saudi Arabia in its opening group match seem so long ago now for Argentina, which will be hard to stop in the final with Messi playing this well.

"Even though we lost our first match, we were confident that this group was going to push forward," Messi said. "We know what we are, and we called on the fans to believe in us."

Messi became Argentina's record scorer at World Cups with his third penalty of the tournament taking him to 11 goals in total — one more than Gabriel Batistuta. He also tied the record for most appearances at the World Cup by playing for the 25th time, the same number as Lothar Matthaus of Germany.

Agencies via Xinhua