Was Julián Álvarez’s World Cup semifinal goal against Croatia a masterwork of individual brilliance, or a comedy of defensive errors capped off by an opportunistic finish?
Yes, it was.
With his Argentina side already up one goal in the first half, Álvarez took control of the ball near midfield on a counterattack and just, well, ran straight ahead with the ball.
As he cut through the middle of Croatia’s defense, he stumbled through two defenders. First Josip Juranović tried to clear the ball but it just bounced straight off Álvarez, who kept going. Then Borna Sosa had a shot to clear but he could only flail at the ball as he lost his balance.
Álvarez, who simply never running straight, got his reward by finishing for his side’s second goal.
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In the second half, Álvarez — who plays club soccer for the Premier League’s Manchester City — added another goal to give Argentina its third and final goal in a 3-0 win.
Argentina plays the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal between defending World Cup champion France and Morocco on Sunday (10 a.m. ET, FOX).