Croatia on mission to cause another World Cup upset

The Fifa World Cup in Qatar has reached the final stages of the tournament that started with 32 countries on November 20.

Four are still in contention for the big prize, and Croatia will be on a mission to send another South American side packing when they meet Argentina at the Lusail Stadium on Tuesday night.


Both sides booked their spots in the semi-finals through penalties, with the Croatians knocking out Brazil and Argentina toppling the Netherlands.

The Croatians have been one of surprise packages of the tournament alongside giant slayers Morocco, who will lock horns with the reigning world champions France on Wednesday night.

Argentina last won the prestigious trophy in 1986 against West Germany during the famous Diego Maradona era. Leading to the final, Maradona scored using “the hand of God” in the quarter-final against England.

With the two playmakers possibly featuring in their last World Cup, Lionel Messi and Luka Modric will be crucial for their sides, as both captains know how it feels to be in the World Cup final and falling short.

Argentina last made their World Cup final appearance in 2014, when they lost 1-0 to Germany, while Croatia suffered a 4-2 defeat against France in the final during the 2018 edition in Russia.

Despite being favorites to proceed to the final, Lionel Scaloni’s charges will not be complacent, after having previously lost 3-0 to Croatia at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The Messi-led side will look to book themselves a spot in the final for the sixth time on Sunday, but will have to go past a tenacious Croatian side that has won all four of their penalty shootouts at the World Cup.

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