Messi's goal in the 34th minute helped Argentina take the lead in the semifinal against Croatia. Julian Alvarez scored a brace to take Argentina into the final and knock out the 2018 World Cup runners-up.
Argentina went into half-time with a 2-0 lead despite having only 38 per cent possession in comparison to Croatia who had 62. But the Argentines had five shots on target in comparison to Croatia who had none.