A brace by Julian Alvarez and a penalty by Lionel Messi gave Argentina an emphatic 3-0 win over Croatia in the first semifinal of the FIFA World Cup at the Lusail Stadium. 

Read the match report here:

Messi converted a penalty to break the deadlock in the 34th minute, while Alvarez made it 2-0 five minutes later.

Messi provided the assist as Alvarez scored his second in the 69th.

The second semifinal will be played between holders France and giant-killers Morocco on Wednesday (Thursday 12.30 am IST).

Croatia's Mateo Kovacic and Argentina's Rodrigo De Paul for possession. Photo: AFP/Juan Mabromata
Croatia's Mateo Kovacic and Argentina's Rodrigo De Paul for possession. Photo: AFP/Juan Mabromata

The final will be held on Sunday (8.30 pm IST).

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