Argentina beat Croatia to reach World Cup final

Messi and Alvarez score as Argentina cruise into final

Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez each scored twice as Argentina beat Croatia 3-0 to reach the World Cup final.

Messi was in scintillating form, setting up Alvarez for the opening goal and scoring a stunning second himself.

Alvarez added a third late on to put the seal on a deserved victory for Argentina, who will now face either France or Morocco in the final.

It was a dominant performance from Argentina, who controlled the game from start to finish.

Croatia, who had reached the semi-finals after a penalty shootout win over Brazil, never really got going and were second best to Argentina throughout.

The result means that Argentina are now one game away from winning their third World Cup, after their triumphs in 1978 and 1986.