World Cup 2022 LIVE: Lionel Messi’s Argentina set for Qatar semi-final with Luka Modric’s Croatia | OneFootball

The World Cup 2022 quarter-finals bring shock and mayhem | You Ask The Questions

Lionel Messi and Luka Modric go head to head tonight as Argentina battle Croatia for a place in Sunday’s World Cup final.

The two Ballon d’Or winners have inspired their teams to the last four of the tournament as their country’s respective captains, and both are looking to go one step further after reaching the final before by lifting the World Cup and capping their legacies with the ultimate prize.

Meanwhile, England have landed back in the UK from Qatar with their World Cup dream over, following Saturday night’s 2-1 quarter-final defeat to France.

After three major tournaments in charge, manager Gareth Southgate is now considering his own future - stopping short of clarifying his plans in the immediate aftermath of defeat and then admitting he is ‘conflicted’ about whether to stay on or call it quits, and wary of making ‘the wrong call’.

The and fans of the England team appeared to alter his Wikipedia page in response but he has since been kept on by Fifa for the rest of the tournament.

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Messi embraces ‘spirit of Maradona’ to drag beaten Argentina to World Cup semi-final

As Lionel Messi starts to find the right words to go with the right touches, some of them surprisingly aggressive, there’s been a telling phrase used to describe him around the Argentina camp.

They talk of the 35-year-old as a “líder Maradonina”, a Maradona-like leader.

After his first major moment of the World Cup 2022, which was that essential and exceptional goal against Mexico, Messi was seen looking to the sky and mouthing “gracias Diego”. His teammates now speak of the “spirit of Diego”, and the 35-year-old is also being described as a “man possessed”.

While Argentine football can be overly invested in the emotion and influence of the metaphysical – one player has instructed the friend of an agent to stay because his arrival “brought good luck” – there are very real acts and effects to this. It could be seen in the aftermath of the quarter-final. The Netherlands’ Wout Weghorst had come over to try and swap shirts but Messi was still in battle mode, offering that now famous line as he broke from an interview. He was still consumed by the intensity of the contest.

The Argentine players meanwhile talk of a captain who is leading by example in every sense, so loudly encouraging them, giving team speeches. The various football figures that form the extended entourage have at the same time noted they’ve seen this before, and that it’s “like 1986”.

Big match preview, by Miguel Delaney

Jamie Braidwood13 December 2022 07:45

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World Cup 2022: When is Argentina vs Croatia?

The first semi-final of the 2022 World Cup sees Argentina face Croatia with a 7pm kick-off on Tuesday 13 December. The winners face either France or Morocco in the final.

Where can I watch?

This game will be broadcast live on ITV 1 and STV, while it can also be streamed on ITV X and the STV Player.

Jamie Braidwood13 December 2022 07:35