Argentina vs Croatia live: World Cup score, highlights, result from 2022 semi final match

By | December 13, 2022
0 Comment

Lionel Messi and Argentina may be the favourites on paper heading into Tuesday’s World Cup semifinal against Croatia, but the European side are a real threat as they aim to reach a second consecutive final.

Messi, 35, is on a mission to win his first World Cup in his final appearance at the tournament, but 37-year-old Croatia playmaker Luka Modric is after the same prize. Croatia surprisingly reached the 2018 showpiece where they fell short against France.

After finishing as runners-up in Group F, the wily Croatian side needed to win a penalty shoot-out against both Japan and Brazil to reach this stage. Those wins were in large part thanks to the heroics of goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, who has emerged as one of the stars of the tournament.

Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic named an unchanged starting XI, while Nicolas Tagliafico and Leandro Paredes replaced the suspended Marcos Acuna and Lisandro Martinez Argentina.

Sporting News is tracking live scoring updates and highlights for Argentina vs. Croatia at the 2022 World Cup. Follow below for complete results from the semifinal match in Qatar.

MORE: Best bets and prediction for Argentina vs. Croatia

Argentina vs Croatia live score

  1H 2H Final
Argentina — — —
Croatia — — —

Goals:
None

Lineups:

Argentina (4-4-2, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 26. Molina, 13. Romero, 19. Otamendi, 3. Tagliafico — 7. De Paul, 24. E. Fernandez, 5. Paredes, 20. Mac Allister — 9. Alvarez, 10. Messi

Croatia lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Livakovic (GK) — 22. Juranovic, 6. Lovren, 20. Gvardiol, 19. Sosa — 10. Modric, 11. Brozovic, 8. Kovacic — 13. Pasalic, 9. Kramaric, 4. Perisic

MORE: Watch every World Cup match live with fuboTV (U.S.-only free trial)

Argentina vs Croatia live updates, highlights from 2022 World Cup

32nd minute: PENALTY TO ARGENTINA!!!! Julian Alvarez bursts through and Dominik Livakovic blocks him after he lifts the ball over the goalkeeper. That’s a yellow card for Livakovic who must now face down Messi. He’s been quite good in penalties in this tournament…

31st minute: Ooh, that’s a lovely idea from Ivan Perisic, who cuts in off the left, spots Emi Martinez off his line and aims a delicate chip. It’s a little too high.

28th minute: Luka Modric makes light of his advancing years by sprinting back to head a cross away from Julian Alvarez after Argentina break.

27th minute: Croatia press Messi effectively and Mateo Kovacic scampers away on the break again. He feeds Andrej Kramaric and Argentina will have to defend a free-kick…which they do.

25th minute: Alexis MacAllister sets one back to Enzo Fernandez who tries his look from 25 yards. Dominik Livakovic scrambles across his goal to save.

22nd minute: Messi has his first chance to size Croatia up. He goes for a trademark one-two with Julian Alvarez before his attempted throughball for Nico Tagliafico is cut out. Mateo Kovacic surges forward to try and launch a Croatia break. This one is starting to warm up.

18th minute: Borna Sosa looks to cross from deep. It sails over Martinez’s crossbar and goes about 30 rows back. Safe to say he overcooked that one a little bit!

16th minute: Croatia work a short corner after another slick move. The delivery is too deep for Dejan Lovren and the danger passes.

14th minute: Messi goes to ground right on the edge of the area after good work by Julian Alvarez. Referee Daniele Orsato is not interested.

12th minutes: Good moments for Croatia, whose usual suspects are moving the ball serenely around midfield. No end product as yet but this could become tiring work for Argentina.

10th minute: Ivan Perisic launches a long thrown into the box, which is an interesting tactic for a diminutive team operating without an orthodox striker. Mario Pasalic goes up for it but Cristian Romero is the only winner in that argument.

6th minute: Croatia play through the press with worrying ease from an Argentina point of view, leading to Cristian Romero clobbering through Mario Pasalic. The referee plays advantage until Rodrigo De Paul wins a free-kick for Argentina. Romero very lucky not to be pulled back for a yellow card.

4th minute: Nico Tagliafico gets to stretch his legs from left-back for Argentina. Rodrigo De Paul spins an inviting ball over the Croatia backline but Livakovic gets there first.

1st minute: We’re off, with Croatia stroking some possession about in their changed navy blue kit – no famous red and white cheques tonight.

5 mins from kickoff: The teams are out and its anthems time. Hairs on the neck stuff from the Argentine masses.

10 mins from kickoff: A giant is going to be absolutely furious when they find out someone has pinched their laundry off the washing line…

20 mins from kickoff: Argentina will soon be walking out at Lusail Stadium for the fourth time this tournament, hoping to make it five in Sunday’s final. The 2022 World Cup’s biggest venue is a fitting setting for their huge army of travelling fans, who are once again making an absolute racket.

40 mins from kickoff: It’s becoming the norm to have Croatia appear on these grand stages, but we shouldn’t forget that – in terms of population size – their achievements are truly remarkable. To borrow some boxing parlance, they’re the undisputed pound-for-pound world champions before we kick a ball this week.

1hr from kickoff: On those Argentina changes, perhaps Lisandro Martinez might feel a little hard done by, given he can also operate at left-back. However, Tagliafico is more likely to be able to replicate Acuna’s attacking thrust. Paredes feels like a sensible option against this Croatia midfield and it probably means a bit more license for MacAllister to get forward and support Messi and Alvarez in attack.

1 hr 15 mins from kickoff: Two changes for Argentina. One of those is enforced, with Nicolas Tagliafico in for the suspended Marcos Acuna, while Leandro Paredes replaces Lisandro Martinez. That means a switch to a back four and Paris Saint-Germain’s Paredes adding an extra body to the midfield to duke it out with Croatia’s three maestros. 

1 hr 20 mins from kickoff: The Croatia team is out and Zlatko Dalic has gone with an unchanged XI from the quarterfinal against Brazil.

1 hr 40 mins from kickoff: Josko Gvardiol is being linked with mega-money moves to the Premier League. The RB Leipzig defender has enjoyed a superb World Cup and if he is able to shackle Messi it will only enhance his burgeoning reputation. 

2 hrs from kickoff: Of course, Messi won’t mind much if he doesn’t score another goal so long as Argentina go all the way to glory. However, he is also very much in the mix for the Golden Boot.

2 hrs 20 mins from kickoff: Messi and his colleagues in the Argentina attack will have to reckon with a goalkeeper in the form of his life. Croatia’s Dominik Livakovic was his country’s hero against Japan and Brazil. In the former shoot-out he became the third goalkeeper in history to save three penalties in a World Cup decider. 

2 hrs 40 mins from kickoff: Croatia’s Ivan Perisic has had over twice as many touches in the opposition box (30) than any of his teammates. He also ranks first in terms of goal contributions (three), shots (13) and aerial duels won (15) for his side. A man for the big occasion, Perisic scored in the semifinal and final at the previous World Cup.

3 hrs from kickoff: Croatia have made a bit of a habit of giant-killing. If they win tonight, they would match a feat only previously accomplished by Germany in 2014. And we all know who lifted the trophy that year…

3 hrs 20 mins from kickoff: Argentina were taken to the limit by the Netherlands last time out and games against European nations have been a problem for them of late. The 2-0 group-stage win over Poland is their only victory inside 90 minutes in the past seven attempts against teams from Europe at the World Cup. That slump includes he 3-0 defeat to Croatia at Russia 2018.

Getty Images

3 hrs 40 mins from kickoff: Most of Messi’s supporting cast from previous bids for glory have left the stage. Di Maria is a remaining ally from the run to Olympic gold in 2008, but Nicolas Otamendi is also there as an unlikely elder statesman. The famously erratic ex-Manchester City defender, now plying his trade at Benfica, is having a fine tournament.

4 hrs from kickoff: Can he do it? History continues to beckon for Messi in Qatar

4 hrs 30 mins from kickoff: Ivan Perisic is one of the star names edging towards international retirement at Qatar 2022  and he is a legend for Croatia

5 hrs from kickoff: Croatia have been the shootout kings in Qatar………will tonight end with spot kicks?

5 hrs 30 mins from kickoff: Argentina have enjoyed some MEMORABLE semifinal moments over the years!

6 hrs from kickoff: Lionel Scaloni has defended his players — despite 17 yellow cards being issued in their bad-tempered quarterfinal win over the Netherlands — as they look to move a step closer a first World Cup title since 1986.

“The previous game was played in the way it had to played, for both teams, the Netherlands and Argentina, and that’s football”, as per reports from The Guardian.

“We need to show pride and we just played the game the way we had to play it. The referee is in charge of making decisions.

Getty Images

“We respect all the teams here, the Netherlands, Croatia and all the opponents we face. That’s one of our main characteristics and features of our personality since the first game.

“We need to put an end to this idea of us not being ‘good winners’ or ‘good losers — that’s far from who we are as a team, and the way we represent this nation.”

6 hrs 30 mins from kickoff: More Messi vs. Modric talk. It’s a battle between the last two FIFA Golden Ball winners:

7 hrs from kickoff: It’s wild to think that it was in a Croatia vs. Argentina friendly back in 2006 that Luka Modric made his first of 160 appearances for Croatia, and Lionel Messi scored his first of 95 goals for Argentina. Croatia won the match 3-2.

MORE: Argentina vs Croatia history and last meeting

Argentina vs Croatia lineups, team news

Argentina are going back to a four-man backline against Croatia according to reports from Qatar. The only question is whether it’s a 4-4-2 with Leandro Paredes as the fourth midfielder or a 4-3-3 with Angel Di Maria as the right attacking winger. 

Media on the Argentina beat say that Di Maria is fully fit and available to start again after sitting on the bench against Australia and the Netherlands. If manager Lionel Scaloni prioritises the midfield, which represents Croatia’s primary strength, then Paredes is the most likely to start.

The Albiceleste have both fullbacks suspended after picking up a second yellow card in the quarterfinal against the Dutch. Nicolas Tagliafico will replace Marcos Acuna at left-back, while Nahuel Molina steps in for Gonzalo Montiel. 

Argentina (4-4-2, right to left): 23. E. Martinez (GK) — 26. Molina, 13. Romero, 19. Otamendi, 3. Tagliafico — 7. De Paul, 24. E. Fernandez, 5. Paredes, 20. Mac Allister — 9. Alvarez, 10. Messi

The Croatian press is not expecting too many tweaks to the lineup that started against Brazil though Nikola Vlasic is given a slight advantage to start over Mario Pasalic with the thinking that the Torino attacker’s pace and dribbling can give real problems to Argentina’s backup left-back Tagliafico. 

All eyes will be on holding midfielder Marcelo Brozovic and whether he can shut down Lionel Messi like he did in their 2018 group stage meeting which saw Croatia emerge 3-0 victors. 

Croatia lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Livakovic (GK) — 22. Juranovic, 6. Lovren, 20. Gvardiol, 19. Sosa — 10. Modric, 11. Brozovic, 8. Kovacic — 13. Vlasic, 9. Kramaric, 4. Perisic

Argentina vs Croatia live stream, TV channel

This first semifinal clash will be played at the Lusail Stadium, the fourth match that Argentina plays in the building.

Here’s how you can watch all the action in some of the major global territories.

  Date Time TV Channel Streaming
USA Tue, Dec. 13 14:00 ET Fox,
Telemundo		 fuboTV,
Fox Sports site/app,
Telemundo Deportes site/app,
Peacock
Canada Tue, Dec. 13 14:00 ET TSN 1, CTV, RDS (French) TSN site/app, CTV website,
RDS app
UK Tue, Dec. 13 19:00 GMT ITV 1, STV ITVX, STV Player
Australia Wed, Dec. 14 06:00 AEDT SBS SBS On Demand
India Wed, Dec. 14 00:30 IST Sports 18 JioTV+
Hong Kong Wed, Dec. 14 03:00 HKT Now TV (Ch. 616, 618) Now TV
Malaysia Wed, Dec. 14 03:00 MYT Astro FIFA World Cup 1 Astro GO
Singapore Wed, Dec. 14 03:00 SGT StarHub TV FIFA World Cup, Singtel FIFA World Cup 141 Singtel TV GO, CAST,
StarHub TV+, MeWatch
New Zealand Wed, Dec. 14 08:00 NZDT Sky Sport 7 beIN Sports Sky Go, Sky Sport NOW

Source