The age of the match in the semi-final was 39 minutes. Argentina leads 1-0. The 22-year-old player brought the ball up to his feet in midfield. With his breath, he ran towards the opponent’s goalpost. Croatian footballers in blue and white jerseys tried very hard to stop this young man.
But Julián Alvarez was unstoppable in Wednesday’s game. Dominik Livaković, one of Qatar’s best goalkeepers at the World Cup, had his dream of running with the ball from midfield and finding the goalpost for his rivals the world over. He couldn’t stop Alvarez. He taps the net lightly with his right foot.
The mastermind behind Argentina’s crushing of Croatia in the first semi-final is Lionel Messi, the undisputed hero of Alvarez. He scored two of the three goals.
Alvarez was born on January 31, 2000, in Calchín, Córdoba, Argentina. Its nickname is La Arana, which means spider. His teammates who play club football or play for the country sometimes call him by this nickname. Those who saw the incredible run of Alvarez in the midfield in the previous day’s match, many could find the resemblance of the young footballer to the movement of a spider.
Alvarez has one more goal in the semifinals. Credit for this goal goes to the captain. Alvarez scored the second goal with a pass to Messi.
Alvarez can be called the new face of Argentina. He debuted in the first team with the country jersey last year. He was substituted for Di Maria in the 62nd minute of the World Cup decider against Chile. He scored his first international goal against Ecuador.