Messi confirms Qatar WC Final to be his last World Cup game

Argentina has qualified for the World Cup final after thrashing Croatia (3-0) in the first semifinal of the WC last night in Lusail Stadium. Argentina's skipper, Messi, carried his team to the final of the 2022 WC with a goal and a scintillating assist. However, after the win, the star player broke the heart of millions across the globe after confirming that he will be playing his last WC match on Sunday for La Albiceleste.

An impressive match took place in the Lusail stadium, which was packed with a large majority of Argentines. Despite a complicated and extremely even start, the South American side took the initial advantage through a penalty from La Pulga. It was Álvarez who managed to leak and got the foul on Livaković. The left-hander accommodated the ball and put it in the left corner at 34' of the first half.

After a few minutes, at 39' more precisely, the Man City striker passed over the entire Croatian defence, took everyone ahead and made it 2-0. The break came with a partial 2-0 and some tranquillity for the Scaloni side.

Already in the complement and after some sporadic attacks from the Balkans, Argentina found the best show at the feet of Messi, who danced to the Croatian defence and gave Julián Álvarez the centre back to put the 3-0.

Argentina's side had a strange start to the WC campaign but they recovered well after a tough opening match against Saudi Arabia where they lost 1-2. The tears of its players and its coaching staff reflect the illusion of the final that they will play next Sunday, December 18 at the Lusail stadium against France or Morocco, which will be played all this Thursday. That will undoubtedly be the revenge for the lost match with Germany in Brazil in 2014, in search of the third Cup.

Messi became the all-time top scorer for Argentina at the World Cup, surpassing Gabriel Batistuta with a 34-minute penalty goal against Croatia.

Messi after the game: To see all these people, this family, since the start of the World Cup. What we have experienced is incredible. Now we come to the last game, that's what we wanted. Even though we started out losing, we had confidence that this group would go on. We asked people to trust us because we know what we are worth. This group is amazing. We did it, we did it. Once again, Argentina is in the final of the World Cup!

He added, "I feel really happy in this World Cup and can help the team. But Sunday will be my last game in a World Cup, he said loud and clear. Since our defeat against Saudi Arabia (1-2), every game has been a final. We won five, we have a sixth left. We were tired today, but we used our resources and we deserved this victory."