Lionel Messi has put Argentina in the front seat by scoring a penalty in the FIFA World Cup semifinal against Croatia.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward made no mistake in converting the spot kick that was won by Julian Alvarez, who was one-on-one with goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
Messi looked in control taking the spot kick, comfortably defeating Livakovic with a firm effort on the upper right corner. The shot left the Croatian goalkeeper helpless and gave Argentina a 1-0 lead.
It was also Messi’s 11th goal for Argentina in World Cups, meaning the former Barcelona forward has now beaten Gabriel Batistuta’s record and is currently the highest goalscorer for his country in this coveted tournament.
Messi’s goal proved to be crucial as Alvarez shortly produced an excellent solo effort to make it 2-0 for Argentina. Having opened the shackles of the Croatian defence, the South American giants are now looking to put the game to bed by scoring another