Sensational Messi leads Argentina to World Cup Final

Lionel Messi's final match in an Argentina shirt at the FIFA World Cup will either end in ultimate heartbreak or triumph.

Messi scored a penalty and set up another goal to help lead Argentina to a 3-0 win over Croatia in Qatar on Tuesday to book their place in Sunday's Final. Manchester City's Julian Alvarez notched a brace, his third and fourth of the tournament, in the victory.

It's a return to the Final for Messi for the first time since 2014 as the Albiceleste denied Croatia the opportunity to become the first team since Brazil in 2002 to reach back-to-back Finals.

A seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, Messi has won a Copa America, 11 league titles and four Champions League crowns with the World Cup the last major honour to elude him. He will have the chance, likely for the last time, to add it to his list of accolades on Sunday.

But Messi made history just by taking the pitch on Tuesday. In Lionel Scaloni's starting XI, Messi made his 25th World Cup appearance for Argentina, matching the all-time record held by Germany legend Lothar Matthaus. He will claim the record for himself on Sunday when - not an if - he plays.

He would make more history in the 34th. After Dominik Livakovic was adjudged to have taken Alvarez down in the area, the referee pointed to the spot. Messi made no mistake with a finely taken penalty to make it 1-0. The goal was Messi's 11th at a World Cup, giving him one more than Fiorentina icon Gabriel Batistuta for most ever for Argentina. The marker was also Messi's fifth of the current tournament, pulling him even with France's Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race.

It also marked the sixth time in six World Cup matches that Croatia had failed to score the opening goal.

Argentina would double their lead before halftime after a fine solo run from Alvarez. Darting down the pitch, Alvarez skipped through three Croatia defenders, aided by a couple of fortunate bounces, and beat Livakovic to make it 2-0 in the 39th.

It was the second straight match in which the Albiceleste opened a 2-0 lead, but there would be no dramatic comeback attempt like there was with Australia and the Netherlands with Messi and Alvarez combining together to ensure the victory in the 69th.

With trademark Messi magic, the Paris Saint-Germain man picked up the ball with his back to goal and headed toward the touchline marked by Josko Gvardiol. Spinning, Messi nutmegged his marker and crossed across the face of goal for an Alvarez tap-in. It was Messi's fourth assist of the tournament with Messi involved in nine of Argentina's 12 goals at the World Cup. Assists are also the first tiebreaker for the Golden Boot, meaning as of now, Messi would have the edge over Mbappé.

And while Messi's dream lived on, another legend's died on Tuesday.

Croatia talisman Luka Modric, in his fourth World Cup, came off in the 81st to a standing ovation. At 37, the Real Madrid midfielder is unlikely to feature at another World Cup with the 2018 Final being the closest he will come to triumph.

Back in the Final for a sixth time, Argentina will now play the winner of Wednesday's other semi-final between defending champions France and upstarts Morocco on Sunday.

Should Argentina win the World Cup for the third time on Sunday, they will become only the second team to have lost their first match and gone on to win the tournament following in the footsteps of Spain in 2010.