It was a night that promised to be exciting and it delivered as Croatia beat Argentina 3-0 to qualify for the Round of 16. Argentina dug their own grave, losing possession at key moments. The first goal came off a horrendous error from goalkeeper Caballero. The Argentine shot-stopper sent a simple pass straight into the Rebic who hammered the volley straight into goal. The second goal came off a sensational shot by Modric into the top right. The Real Madrid playmaker confused Otamendi with light touches before sending the shot past a diving Caballero. The third goal also came out of Argentina’s own undoing, as Rakitic’s shot was parried away by Caballero but fell to Kovacic, who rolled it over to Rakitic who sent it straight to the back of the net. Mascherano stood rooted to the spot asking for an offside, when he should have closed down Rakitic.
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It was a match filled with fouls and bookings, and Argentina fell like a pack of cards following the first goal. They never recovered. Messi was left wandering on the pitch with hardly any touch on the ball. The Barcelona star did create chances but his teammates never delivered. It was a night when Argentina needed some inspiration and even Messi was unable to deliver it. Croatia were superior in play by far, as they dominated midfield and dictated terms, especially in the final 20 minutes. Modric and Rakitic rose to the occasion for Croatia as they bullied in the midfield.
Argentina started the attack, but the early warning bells were rung in the Argentinian half as Perisic’s took a shot on target, but Caballero’s fingertip save put the ball away for a corner. The Argentine defence had gone to sleep at the back. Argentina’s first real chance came in the 12th minute, when Perez’s chip almost landed in front of a stretching Messi, but it landed just out of his reach. Argentina weren’t playing free and it was evident when Otamendi sent the ball out of play in the 18th minute. Tagliafico was the next to panic as he nearly gave up the ball at the edge of the Argentine box. In the 22nd minute, Acuna’s overhit cross sailed over the keeper and came dangerously close to a goal but bounced over the crossbar.
Messi cuts a desolate figure during the group D match of the 2018 World Cup, at the Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia | Reuters
This was the second meeting between the two sides at a World Cup and the fifth overall. The last time they faced each other at the World Cup was in 1998 when Argentina won 1-0. Lionel Messi’s first ever international goal was also against Croatia back in 2006. Croatia had never beaten a South American side at the World Cup coming into the match. All those stats were just biting the dust at the end of play as Croatia stood tall having humbled Argentina.
The second half was all about Croatia who attacked with alacrity against an Argentine defence that looked anything but capable of warding off the Croatians. Sampaoli brought on Higuain and Dybala and even that wasn’t enough to make a difference. Argentina’s problem was nerves and lack of someone stepping up to the occasion. The problems were too many for any substitute to solve. Argentina came close to scoring twice. The first was in the 30th minute when Perez failed to put the ball into an empty net after Salvio nicked the ball to him. Instead, he shot the ball wide. The second chance came when Messi almost shot at goal, but a last second dive by Rakitic blocked his shot. Argentina did have other chances in the second half, but were unable to get any meaningful result out of it.
In the end, it was a deserved victory for Croatia who were the better team. Argentina were in total shambles. Their nerves showed as they looked anything but certain. Croatia are through to the Round of 16. Argentina now have a mountain to climb. They now have to beat Nigeria and even then their fate might not be in their own hands. They have to hope Iceland draw against Nigeria or even lose against the African nation. A win for Iceland could mean curtains for Argentina. So much at stake. Argentina can’t complain much. In the end, it was all their own undoing. It is all happening here at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Buenos Nachos!