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