World Cup Semifinals: Will Croatia End Lionel Messi's Dream and Will Morocco Shock France?

The Qatar World Cup has so far been filled with triumphs, heartbreaks, controversies, and upsets. Now, as we head to next weekend's semifinal match-ups, we are taking a look at the Final Four teams: Argentina, Croatia, France, and Morocco.

As this particular tournament has already shown, upsets are very much possible. While Argentina and France are coming into their respective semifinal matches as the favorites, it is no guarantee that they will win, as both Morocco and Croatia pulled off massive shockers to get where they are.

Croatia did the unthinkable as they eliminated tournament favorites Brazil to get to the World Cup semifinals. On the way, they also dispatched the Samurai Blue of Japan.

As for Morocco, they just had a dream run for the World Cup, becoming not only the first African team to reach the semis, but also the first Arabic team to do so. They also had the biggest number of upsets for any underdog team in the tournament, beating Belgium, who were billed as top contenders, as well as eliminating their two northern neighbors in Spain in the Round of 16, and then Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in the quarterfinal.

Croatia Standing in the Way of Lionel Messi's Dream of an Argentina World Cup Win

Argentina is the last team from the Americas left after the eliminations of the United States and Brazil. However, the Argentinians looked rocky throughout the tournament, losing to Saudi Arabia in their opener before getting back to dominant form... before nearly losing to Australia's Socceroos and that controversial win over the Netherlands.

The next team they will be facing will be Croatia, which seeks to add yet another South American favorite to its list of victims. Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic has proven he can defend Croatia's goal against a stacked Brazil, and ESPN even reported that the Brazil game was a standout performance for him as he shut down the South Americans in the penalty shootout.

Argentina will be having trouble in dispatching the plucky Croatians, as the team has a never-say-die attitude, even if they have the odds stacked against them, according to Reuters. The squad has maintained its discipline and may cut Messi's dream short.

Meanwhile, there is no doubt that Argentina is coming into the match in Lusail Stadium hungrier than ever. Lionel Messi is at the twilight of his career, and he is chasing the one prize that has eluded him his entire career, the World Cup.

Messi will also have a solid supporting cast, with Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, and Alexis Mac Allister all having his back. However, ESPN has pointed out that they would have to go the extra distance if they ever want to give Argentina its third World Cup win.

Morocco Chasing History, But Kylian Mbappe and France Would Be a Problem

Over at the other side of the bracket, the most surprising team in the tournament is taking it all in but remains wary of the defending champions and their superstar. It's a classic case of David vs. Goliath, with the plucky Moroccans taking on the methodical French.

According to the BBC, it is not just the Moroccans cheering on their team, but other Arabs as well. One fan told the British news agency that spectators from other Arab countries are taking part in their chants, even if they are having trouble pronouncing some of the words.

While the Arab world is standing united behind Morocco, however, there is one undeniable fact, and that is France is still one of the tournament's heavy favorites. While Morocco has shown that they could beat the best, sending favorites Spain and Portugal packing, France might be a totally different story.

Kylian Mpabbe has been a beast the entire tournament for Les Bleus, and their players are certainly familiar with high-pressure games. Coming into the match, Les Bleus remains confident, but then again, Morocco has shocked the world already... thrice in this tournament alone.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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