Argentina’s Lionel Messi with teammates during a training session at Qatar University Training Site 3, yesterday. REUTERS
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has played down talks of unsportsmanlike conduct by his players against the Netherlands, especially as the La Albiceleste take on Croatia in the first semi-final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at the Lusail Stadium.
The quarter-final between the Dutch and the Argentines saw a World Cup record of 18 yellow cards and one red card dished out by Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz.
“The match from the other day was played the way it was supposed to be played by both the Netherlands and Argentina. This is football -- we lost the first match to Saudi Arabia, and we went to the hotel quietly to continue preparing. We won the Copa America in Brazil, and I think we had the most beautiful scene of sportsmanship ever in the football world with Neymar, Messi, Paredes, and other players sitting in the Maracana dressing room,” Scaloni told the media yesterday.
“I don’t accept people saying that we don’t know how to win. We have to get rid of that because we are entitled to have some pride. We have a lot of respect for the Netherlands, and now Croatia and all the opponents we may face. That’s been our approach since day one.”
Putting that aside, Scaloni indicated Croatia would pose a tough challenge for the South Americans. In their last World Cup meeting four years ago, Croatia beat Argentina 3-0 -- Jorge Sampaoli famously refused to shake Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic’s hands after the defeat. The two sides are evenly matched historically, both in terms of matches overall, with two wins apiece and one draw.
“We are expecting a hard match. We’ll be facing a team that can really be defined as a team because they play like what they are. They’re a great group, a great team,” stressed Scaloni, adding that Croatia will try to make things difficult for Argentina.
“I don’t think comparing this World Cup to the previous one is right. Every match is different, but they are a great team with great players.”
Argentina have been impressive in Qatar, considering how they have bounced back from their opening match shocker, losing to Saudi Arabia. They have heavily relied on talisman Lionel Messi, who has four goals in the tournament. A steady midfield which has seen Alexis Mac Allister thrive and Rodrigo De Paul embrace the Mascherano role and a giant keeper in Emi Martinez have all contributed to the two-time champions’ stature in the tournament.
“We’ve got our characteristic way of playing, and we have to consider how our opponent plays and pay attention to their strengths. We know they’ve (Croatia) made things difficult not only for us but a lot of other teams,” Scaloni disclosed.
The 44-year-old also refused to share his tactics against Croatia but said Argentina know where to harm the European side.
“We know where they can do harm to us because they have players for this. I’m not about to tell you now what their strong or weak points are, but we’ve worked hard on where we can attack and cause harm and also where they might be lacking. This is what we’ve always done, and it may or may not work, but we always work on this.”
Croatia’s players take part in a training session at the Al Ersal Training Site 3 in Doha. AFP
Croatia want more
Croatia, on the other hand, have won only one match in regulation time – a 4-1 thumping of Canada. That’s the only game so far they have scored more than one goal. Unlike Argentina, with one penalty shootout win in Qatar, Croatia’s two knockout games have been decided by shootouts, with keeper Dominik Livakovic proving an unmovable wall for opponents. No team has ever won three shootouts in the same World Cup.
Still haunted by the loss in the final four years ago to France, Croatia are In back-to-back semi-finals for the first time in their history. For Dalic, this could be the greatest match in Croatian football history.
“Tomorrow’s match is a great match for Argentina as well as us. The stakes are high for both, and a spot in the final is at stake,” Dalic said.
“For me, the semi-final match against England was the greatest match of all time. The Brazil game (in the quarter-finals) comes second, and tomorrow’s match would be third on that list.
“But if we win tomorrow, it would make it the greatest Croatian match of all time.”
The 56-year-old, who became head coach in 2017, has heralded a football renaissance for the Balkans. Despite being runners-up in Russia, they weren’t heavily touted to get this far, especially with stars like Ivan Perisic and midfield maestro Luka Modric nearing or in their twilight.
“At back-to-back World Cups to be among the four best national teams, that’s an extraordinary success for Croatia,” Dalic said.
“However, we want more this time. We are playing against a great team, Argentina, led by Leo Messi, a team with a huge motive and certainly has more pressure to deal with than Croatia at this moment. I’m an optimist as always and have full confidence in my players. They’ve shown their great quality and strength of character and deserve to be in the final,” he added.
