I expected Croatia to play better in attack, but it was not their day. Messi still reaches the final, the expectations of many regarding Argentina come true. Today, France is likely to stop Morocco, the semi-finals and the match for third place with Croatia is already a great achievement for them, and France will be a worthy opponent for Argentina in the final.
I agree that Croatia played pretty good. The only problem is that there was no one to score a goal. And Argentina let Croatia control the ball and then scored goals from counter attacks. As a Croatian I'm not that sad that my team lost. Argentina was a better team and they won. Even if without penalty I think that Argentina would have won the game. Now we have to see who will face Croatia in the battle for the bronze medal and who will face Argentina in the fight for the gold medal.
And i agree with you. Initially I thought that Argentina would immediately press in the early minutes with high intensity. however, the scenario that occurs is different. like you said, Argentina allowed Croatia to have the ball. they relied on counterattacks, and yes Argentina opened up their advantage from the penalty spot.
Regardless of Argentina's victory in this semifinal match. I just want to highlight the captain of the Croatian national team, Luca Modric. he always performs optimally in every match, especially during the Qatar world cup and considering he is 37 years old. but he still performed brilliantly, with the captain's armband. We must give the highest appreciation for his role with the Croatian national team, with the extraordinary performance he presented to football lovers. he's also not only important in his club, but with his national team as well. maybe this world cup will be the last for him, so I will fully support Luca Modric in the fight for the bronze medal.