Argentina's win was their best performance of the World Cup

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The World Cup requires you to finish strong, unlike a league format where you can build up a big lead at the beginning. The message was apparently received by Argentina. On the night that Lionel Messi scored his 11th World Cup goal (surpassing Gabriel Batistuta for most in the country's men's tournament history), they reached their sixth World Cup final.

The Lusail Stadium DJ played a tribute to Diego Maradona as Argentina came out for their pre- match warm up. The mostly Albiceleste crowd dutifully popped.

Big entrances don't mean much when they aren't backed up. As the tournament went on, Argentina got better. They didn't put together a 90-minute performance until the third group game against Poland, and then they let a two- goal lead slip against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and almost did the same against Australia in the round of 16.

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The stadium was different on Tuesday night. This was thorough and detailed. This was a good sign. Control was what this was. While Messi provided a ridiculous moment of skill in setting up the third goal, this was a team performance. They were cured of Messi dependency on the night. The cherry on top was him.

Lionel Scaloni was aware of the way Croatia would play. Zlatko Dalic didn't make any secret of it. He was going to use Luka Modric and his teammates to control the game as much as possible. The gameplan that worked so well against Brazil was to make the opposition chase you when you have the ball because they can't score on you.

Argentina switched to a diamond in the middle to counter the threat. In came Leandro Paredes who was a ball-playing defensiveMidfielder. They had an extra man in the middle to counter Croatia's trio, as well as a midfield that could make the game more intense.

Croatia had gone to penalties in the previous rounds and that mattered against them. After the half-hour mark, a through-ball found a man in the box, who was brought down by a player. Messi made the conversion.

Argentina got a dose of good fortune, but also of the kind that favors the brave. A loose ball was picked up by Alvarez and he moved forward on the counter. As if by magic, the ball caromed off both Borna Sosa and Josko Gvardiol and yet, as if by magic, remained in Alvarez's path for him to score.

They were up 2-0 and on their way. They had a chance to make it three before the break, but Livakovic was alert on Nicolas Tagliafico's near-post headed shot.

Dalic is a realist and a never say die guy. By the fifth minute of the second half, he had sent on two wingers and a center-forward, and it was obvious that Croatia wouldn't get back into the game. Croatia was going to take a direct route.

He countered Dalic's move with his own. Argentina was given a back three and extra bodies to counter the inevitable aerial assault.

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Argentina was organized and could launchcounters. There was the Messi factor, the fact that he can do something that no one has ever done before. He received the ball in transition with Gvardiol on his heels.

One of the best young defenders in Europe is 15-year-old Gvardiol, who faced 35-year-old Messi. You expect Messi to pull off a pass that nobody else is watching. You don't expect him to go for a ride.

He did what he was told to do.

Messi went on one of those runs, with Gvardiol on top of him, matching him step for step. Messi couldn't shake his mark. The ball was still stuck to his foot. Like the reflection in a mirror, a dragback, a pirouette, and still Gvardiol was there. Messi faked one way and dribbled around Gvardiol, the way he might have done if he had trained as a child. This was as athletic as possible. It isn't what you would expect from a veteran. Messi is also called Messi.

He capped it off with a square ball into the box, which the waiting Alvarez side-footed home. For the highlight-reel memory of a piece of skill that has been turned into a Gif.