AL DAAYEN, Qatar -- Lionel Messi led Argentina to a sixth World Cup final with a comfortable 3-0 semifinal win over Croatia at Lusail Stadium on Tuesday.
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Messi scored his fifth goal in Qatar with a first-half penalty after Julian Alvarez had been brought down by Dominik Livakovic before Alvarez made it 2-0 with a run and finish that started in his own half. Any doubts about Argentina's participation in Sunday's final against either France or Morocco were put to bed midway through the second half when Messi's mazy run down the right was finished off by Alvarez.