Argentina vs Croatia Betting Odds & Recap

Another bit of Messi magic is all it took for Argentina to make it to the final. Argentina swept aside Croatia 3-0 to reach the World Cup final and keep alive their dream of a first triumph since 1986.

Messi, desperate to match Diego Maradona’s feat in his likely last tournament, converted a 34th-minute penalty and set up the second of Julian Alvarez’s two goals with a mesmerizing run.

Croatia had staged a dramatic comeback against Brazil but was stunned by a quickfire first-half double, and, while Messi’s seemingly-irresistible momentum continued, Luka Modric’s hopes of farewell glory were comprehensively dashed.

A midfield battle took early prominence between two sides that had gone the distance in their quarter-finals. Then, Croatia sparked Neymar’s tears after a shootout, and Argentina ousted the Netherlands after a bad-tempered affair.

It appeared to be a deadlock in the early minutes of the game. Croatia was set on having a compact, defensive block and withholding any Argentina pressure. However, Kovacic controlled the game, and Argentina’s lack of a high press meant he could do that quite easily.

Messi had grimaced, grabbing his hamstring in a brief Argentina alarm. However, he showed no discomfort when he smashed his spot-kick past Dominik Livakovic after the Croatian goalkeeper brought down Alvarez.

The Manchester City forward doubled Argentina’s lead just five minutes later, starting a slaloming run from inside his box before latching onto the ball on halfway and finishing a thrilling counter-attack by lifting coolly over Livakovic.

Croatia had not mustered a shot on target before the break, but, as they sought to stretch the play, the space for further punishment appeared, and Messi, twisting and turning, went close again from a tight angle.

One burst past Gvardiol and a link-up with Fernandez engineered a chance for Messi to make it 3-0, but goalkeeper Livakovic clawed away his shot at the near post. Then, at 69 minutes, Messi toyed with Gvardiol on his way to the byline before squaring perfectly for Alvarez to put the result beyond doubt.

Getting a resounding applause from his bench and the rest of the stadium, Modric was substituted in his 160th cap. Messi will return with his teammates to Lusail on Sunday, with only France or Morocco left in the way of immortality.

📊 Team Stats 📊

Argentina	–	Croatia
39%	Possession	61%
9	Total Shots	11
7	Shots on Target	2
1	Shots Wide	7
1	Shots Blocked	2
3	Saves	4
2	Corners	4
2	Yellow Cards	2
0	Red Cards	0
15	Fouls	8
1	Offsides	0
84%	Pass Accuracy	87%
6	Dribbles	11
6	Crosses	20
23	Tackles	17

Did We Get It Right?

Below you will find all the predictions we made before the matchup, on November 24, 2022.

Argentina and Croatia Advance in Quarterfinal Thrillers

Friday’s World Cup quarterfinal matches were instant classics and they have set up an excellent semifinal. Croatia won in penalties for a second straight match and stunned previous World Cup favorites Brazil. They’ll take on Argentina, who blew a two-goal lead but later defeated the Netherlands in a PK shootout. Now, Lionel Messi is one step closer to winning his first World Cup but it’ll be a challenge to defeat 2018 finalists Croatia. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the latest Argentina vs Croatia betting odds.

Team Standings and Odds:

Croatia humbled Argentina at the 2018 World Cup and handed La Albiceleste a 3-0 loss. It was Argentina’s biggest World Cup group stage loss since 1958. Luka Modric was on the scoresheet that day and he’s 2-0 in his career vs. Argentina. The all-time series is tied at two wins apiece, with a draw. This is the third opportunity to take the Argentina vs Croatia betting odds in a World Cup. Argentina defeated Croatia 1-0 in the group stage of the 1998 World Cup.

After Lionel Messi slotted home a penalty to put Argentina up 2-0 vs. the Netherlands, it looked like they’d cruise to victory. Then, Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal subbed out Wout Weghorst. To say Argentina struggled to deal with his and Luuk de Jong’s height and physicality would be a massive understatement. The Netherlands bombarded Argentina with crosses and long balls and Weghorst scored an 83rd minute header to get a goal back. He also scored the equalizer with virtually the last kick of the game from a Teun Koopmeiners pass on a trick free kick.

Argentina managed to put pressure on the Netherlands in extra time but couldn’t find a winner. In PKs, Albiceleste goalie Emi Martinez saved the first two shots, which set the tone for a 4-3 shootout win. Argentina were ecstatic to go through after a cagey match which involved a World Cup record 17 yellow cards. However, it’s the second straight knockout stage match in which they conceded late. They certainly looked vulnerable but are now favorites to be the FIFA World Cup winners after Brazil’s loss.

Along with his goal, Messi provided a no look pass assist in the first half and is now the +125 favorite to win the Golden Ball Award. What’s most important to him and this Argentina team, though, is winning a first World Cup since 1986. Unfortunately, they’ll have to do without starting left back Marcos Acuna and backup right back Gonzalo Montiel on Tuesday. They’re both suspended for the semifinal match and winger Angel di Maria is still working through a quad injury.

For a team that’s only managed one regulation win in five matches, Croatia sure are doing well at Qatar 2022. They have become the kings of extra time and penalties and letting them hang around is fatal. Brazil found out the hard way on Friday as their star studded lineup found it difficult to score past Dominik Livakovic. Neymar finally found a breakthrough for Brazil just as the first extra time period was ending.

However, Brazil committed numbers forward in the second period of extra time and found themselves exposed. A Croatia counter attack culminated in a Mislav Orsic pass to Bruno Petkovic for a dramatic late equalizer. After a heroic Croatia performance, they went into penalties once again.

Livakovic saved three penalties in the round of 16 shootout win vs. Japan and made 10 saves during the match vs. Brazil. He saved Brazil’s first penalty of the shootout and Croatia converted on all of their PKs to score another famous win. After another excellent performance, Livakovic’s FIFA World Cup betting odds to win the Golden Glove have dramatically shifted from +1600 to even. }

The Vatreni’s midfield was also excellent in the match, going punch-for-punch with Brazil. At this point, Luka Modric can be considered one of the greatest midfielders of all-time.

The 2018 Golden Ball winner was at his best and center back Dejan Lovren was also immense vs. Brazil. Croatia are now one win away from a second straight appearance in the World Cup final. It’s an unthinkable feat for a nation with just under four million people. The belief in this group is incredibly high and Zlatko Dalic consistently gets the best out of his players. They’re now 4-0 in World Cup penalty shootouts all-time – and they have advanced all five times their matches have gone to extra time.

Match Analysis and Odds:

Croatia may be feeling confident knowing they defeated Argentina in 2018. Certainly, Croatia’s midfield can hang with Argentina’s and this won’t be an easy match for the Albiceleste. However, the Argentina vs Croatia betting odds list Messi & Co. as -120 moneyline favorites.

Argentina also show the same odds to cover the ½-goal spread. Croatia, who have won just one of their five matches in regulation, sit at +440 odds to win. They also come in at even odds to win or force a draw and cover the spread.

Both teams have been riding their luck a fair bit but Argentina’s late-game collapses are highly concerning. Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic may try to exploit the same weaknesses that the Netherlands did in the quarterfinal. The 6’4” Bruno Petkovic could play a role here again to hold up the ball and pose an aerial threat. It’ll be incredibly difficult for Croatia to defend against Lionel Messi’s marauding runs but they’re battle tested after shutting out Brazil for 100+ minutes.

Argentina are -280 favorites to qualify for their first final since 2014. Meanwhile, Croatia show +220 odds to become repeat finalists for the first time in their history.

A third straight knockout stage draw for Croatia stands at +230 odds. Punters are quickly learning not to bet against them in extra time, where they’ve found a second gear. Regardless, Argentina are -280 favorites to qualify for their first final since 2014. Meanwhile, Croatia show +220 odds to become repeat finalists for the first time in its history. The over/under goal total is just two goals and two or more have been scored in all of Argentina’s five matches. The over comes in at -115 odds for what should be another incredibly entertaining fixture.

Argentina vs Croatia FAQ

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