KAMPALA: Twice winners Argentina must overcome one of the World Cup’s most dogged opposition teams, Croatia, if their star player, Lionel Messi, is to cement his position in football folklore as the greatest player to grace the beautiful game. Messi is rated by punditry as club football’s very best courtesy of an illustrious career that’s won him ten Liga Santander titles, four Champions League crowns and seven Ballon d’Or awards but his international career is blighted by a solitary blemish: Messi has yet to win the World Cup.
Erasing that blot on his copybook is to be at the forefront of the 35-year-old’s mind when the 1978 and 1986 world champions date Croatia at Qatar’s magnificent Lusail Iconic Stadium, Doha on Tuesday night in full knowledge Zlatko Dalic’s side stunned Argentina 3-0 on their way to a runners up podium position at the Russia 2018 tournament. Croatian skipper Luka Modric, a long time Messi rival from his time as a Barcelona player, will lead the Europeans’ charge.
Albiceleste manager Lionel Scaloni and Dalic are certain to spend time preparing their players for the possibility of a penalty shootout given that both sides needed spot kicks to eliminate respective opponents Holland and Brazil in the previous round. Bookmakers favourites Argentina will be especially wary of a Croatia outfit that’s won four straight shootouts in World Cup football.
A high scoring encounter is difficult to envisage given the prolific form of Croatia custodian Dominik Livakovic, who has already won two Fifa Budweiser man of the match awards and was feted by respected French newspaper L’Equipe for his spotless display in Croatia’s elimination of pre-tournament favourites Brazil. Livakovic’s Pumas opposite Emiliano Martinez was just as imperious in saving two spot kicks as the South Americans reached their first semifinal in eight years.