Lionel Messi praised Argentina’s intelligence and strength of character after he led his national team into the World Cup final.
Argentina, the South American champions, defeated Croatia 3-0 in the semi-final on Tuesday night, with Messi scoring once and assisting another to star at Lusail Stadium.
The goal from the penalty spot – the opener – lifted Messi alongside Kylian Mbappe as the tournament’s top scorer, while he was voted man of the match for the fourth time in six matches in Qatar.
Argentina, who in 1986 won the last of their two global titles, will now face either reigning champions France or Morocco in Sunday’s finals.
Speaking after booking his spot in a second World Cup final, Messi said: "This group has strength of character but is also so intelligent. We have a team that is capable of reading games, that knows how to suffer when they have to suffer.
“We have a great coaching staff who don't leave anything to chance. That helps because it means we always know what we need to do."
Messi, 35 and thought to be contesting his final World Cup, hailed Argentina’s ability to rebound from their shock opening defeat to Saudi Arabia last month. The Gulf side triumphed 2-1 at the same Lusail Stadium, ending Argentina’s long unbeaten run.
However, Lionel Scaloni’s men have won all five games since.
"I think the first match was a very tough blow for us because we had been 36 games unbeaten," Messi said. "To start in that way when nobody expected us to lose was a real test for this group of players. But we showed how strong we are.
"What we have done since then was really difficult because every game has been a final. We have played five finals, won them all, and let's hope we win the next one."
In scoring on Tuesday – Julian Alvarez got the other two, his second from Messi’s sublime run and assist – the Paris Saint-Germain forward became Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer at the finals, with 11.
“Well, what I can say is that I am enjoying this a lot,” Messi said. “I am feeling really good.
"In the last game [the quarter-final against the Netherlands], we were taken to extra time, it was a big sacrifice, and today we were tired, but we seem to find strength where we have none.
“And, personally, I can say that I feel very happy in this whole World Cup. I am enjoying it a lot and luckily enough I am able to help my whole squad to make things happen.”
To his teammates, Messi said: "Argentina are, once again, in the World Cup final. Enjoy it.
"We've been through tough situations, other very good ones. Today we're experiencing something spectacular."
Argentina v Croatia player ratings
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ARGENTINA RATINGS: Emi Martinez - 7. Untested in a cagey start as Croatia had possession but few opportunities. Comfortable save from Perisic on 72. Reuters -
Nahuel Molina - 8. Right-back who made a fine run to support Argentina’s second goal. AP -
Cristian Romero - 8. Hard, not always fair, the Spurs central defender is loved by Argentina’s massive travelling support. Booked in front of the 88,966 crowd. AP -
Nicolas Otamendi - 8. The old master, the foil to the younger Romero, he took a ball to the face in a Croatia attack. Argentina only had 40 per cent of possession, but let Croatia play in front of their defence. EPA -
Nicolas Tagliafico - 8. Brought down in a stiff early challenge but stood strong throughout. Best moment was when he won the ball on 63 to turn defence into an attack - which he supported. Then did the same two minutes later. Getty -
Rodrigo De Paul - 8. As Argentina played the same 4-4-2 system that hadn’t convinced against Mexico. Hit a shot that was deflected wide on 41. AFP -
Leandro Paredes - 8. A first start since the opening game and initially up against it as Croatia dominated in the middle. Shot on target after 47. Solid alongside Fernandez. AP -
Enzo Fernandez - 8. Very comfortable against some of the best midfielders in the world. Superb tournament for the Benfica midfielder, 21. He only moved to Europe this year. He won’t be playing in Portugal in a few years. Getty -
Alexis Mac Allister - 8. Headed a 42nd-minute corner towards goal that was saved. Volleyed wide on 82 as Argentina dominated. Grown throughout the tournament. Getty -
Lionel Messi - 10. Scored the penalty that put Argentina ahead. Supporting role in the second. Evaded defenders to make a super run on goal on 57 to almost make it three. Equalled Lothar Matthaus’s World Cup appearance record. Sensational for the third, winning ball on halfway line, beating his men and setting up Alvarez. Genius. AFP -
Julian Alvarez - 9. Won the penalty having been brought down by the goalkeeper, which led to Argentina going ahead. Brilliant individual goal to put Argentina two up on 39 – his third goal of these finals. Made it 3-0, sweeping in Messi’s ball on 69. Four goals puts him behind only Messi and Mbappe. AFP -
SUBS: Lisandro Martinez - 7. On for Paredes on 61. A bit of bite as he helped Argentina reach a sixth World Cup final, including two of the past three - the Messi era. Reuters -
Exequiel Palacios - 7. On for De Paul on 73 and straight into the middle. AP -
Paulo Dybala - 6. On for Alvarez on 74 for his first minutes in these World Cup finals. Top player. EPA -
Angel Correa - N/A. On for Mac Allister on 86 as Argentina’s wise coach Scaloni used as many players as possible. Getty -
Juan Foyth - N/A. On for Molina on 86 and straight to right- back to help see out the game. AFP -
CROATIA RATINGS: Dominik Livakovic - 5. After conceding the penalty that led to Messi opening the scoring, Livakovic was never the same outside of a few decent saves. Getty -
Josip Juranovic - 7. Fought harder than most to get Croatia into positive positions and rarely put a foot wrong at the back, other than the second goal. EPA -
Dejan Lovren - 4. The former Liverpool man was way too deep ahead of the opener and looked lost more often than not. Getty -
Josko Gvardiol - 5. Inconsistency was the key here as Gvardiol went from looking unbelievably nervous to composed and back again. PA -
Borna Sosa - 5. The defender just couldn’t get his final ball right with the cherry on top being a fluffed clearance for the 2nd goal. EPA -
Luka Modric - 7. Croatia’s talisman put on a typically impressive and controlled display, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome the Argentines. Reuters -
Marcelo Brozovic - 6. Showcased a strong presence in the middle of the park, only to fade away once Argentina began to step on the gas. AP -
Mateo Kovacic - 7. The midfield maestro was aggressive and persistent but didn’t show enough of an attacking edge for his teammates. PA -
Mario Pasalic - 5. Not quick enough to the ball, too slow to react in the final third and generally pretty useless for the underdogs. EPA -
Andrej Kramaric - 6. Outside of some solid determination to get forward, Kramaric was too erratic both in and out of possession. EPA -
Ivan Perisic - 5. The veteran simply couldn’t find his way into the semi-final and was marked out of the match throughout. AP -
SUBS: Nikola Vlasic - 6. Was slow to the ball for the third goal, which is a shame, given that his early work showed promise through his build-up. Getty -
Mislav Orsic - 7. Zagreb’s finest had some nice movement, even if it ultimately didn’t lead to anything substantial for Croatia. AP -
Bruno Petkovic - 6. Held play up well in the box but didn’t possess the killer instinct necessary to get his side back in the game. Getty -
Marko Livaja - N/A. Worked hard but wasn’t able to get much going in what proved to be an uneventful cameo. Getty -
Lovro Majer - N/A. Held a firm position in midfield as the minutes ticked by en route to his nation’s defeat. AFP
