Semifinals: Argentina versus Croatia

Going into this game, I expected Argentina to win, but only by a slim margin. They have several good strikers and, of course, Lionel Messi. The Argentines also have a semi-decent defense and a solid goalie who had demonstrated his skill in the last match against the Netherlands, which went to a penalty kick shootout. Croatia also has great midfielders and Luka Modrić, a midfielder for Real Madrid and the Croatian national team captain. Both teams’ quarterfinal games ended in penalty kick shootouts. Croatia beat Brazil 1-1 (4-2), and Argentina beat the Netherlands 2-2 (3-4). 

I had this game running during my third block Woods class (seems like a trend). During the first 20 minutes, Croatia was up on the offensive. Both teams set up some good chances but failed to follow through. Argentina and Croatia had solid midfield and defense formations. 

In the 34th minute, Messi scored on a penalty kick. 

“It is a clean shot that no goalie could defend,” Middleton High School junior Quinn Davis said. Not long after, in the 39th minute, Alvarez scored again with an insane opportunity with a failed attempt from a Croatian corner kick. Argentina led 2-0.

Now in my fourth block Physics of Astronomy class, I turned on my phone to catch the start of the second half. The Argentinians maintained control of the match, and in the 68th minute, Argentina’s Julián Alvaréz scored a contested goal, putting the score up to 3-0 Argentina.

Now up by 3, Argentina started to play a defensive game to ensure that Croatia could not make a comeback. Croatia pulled out Modrić, an interesting scenario which may have hinted that the Croatian strategy focused on something more than attack. 

The game entered the 5+ minutes of extra time at 3-0, Argentina. Croatia tried to sneak a goal in at the end off a corner, but the attempt was unsuccessful and the goal thwarted. They made one more effort: a final shot at the end of the game that flew above the bar, serving the Argentines a win.

The Croatians numerically dominated possession throughout the game but still ended up with a loss 0-3. This shows Argentina’s quick ability to score goals with skill and clean teamwork.