FIFA World Cup: Croatia sinks Argentina, All over for Messi? ARG 0 CRO 3 FT

Full-time report: Argentina just played one of  the worst games in their recent history as Croatia go to the knock-out stages with a hammering 3-0 win at the Nizhny Novgorod Arena on Thursday. The ageing Argentina squad never actually woke up from their deep slumber as the likes of Rebic, Modric and Rakitic hammered away three goals into the back of the Argentine net. 
 

The floodgates opened with a goal by Rebic in the 55th minute as a horrific blunder by Willy Caballero saw the ball land on to the way of Rebic, who shot the ball mercilessly into the top of the net. Argentine fans around the world expected their beloved team to come back from the goal but they failed, miserably. A flurry of changes were made by Argentina with the Juventus sensation Paulo Dybala finally making his debut in the tournament, but it was too little, too late.

Real Madrid star Modric then produced an electrifying 80th-minute goal before Messi's Barcelona team-mate Rakitic completed the scoring after Croatia sliced apart Argentina's hapless defence in injury time.

The Group D defeat means Argentina have just one point from two games, which indicates that they will probably have to beat Nigeria in their last game and hope other results to go in their way to avoid elimination. The result left Argentinian fans in tears inside the Nizhny Novgorod stadium, while Diego Maradona watched from the stands in utter disbelief.

The defeat leaves the Argentinians facing an ignominious repeat of their 2002 campaign when they also went out at the group stage after being tipped as possible World Cup winners.

All the attention after the 3-0 defeat will focus on Argentina and Messi but it was also the result of a fine performance by a Croatia.

A curiously lifeless and uninspired Argentine display was capped off by Caballero's mistake when he somehow managed to chip the ball just a few yards to Croatia's Rebic, following a Gabriel Mercado backpass.

Rebic volleyed home with aplomb. Veteran Caballero will have nightmares of the goal for the rest of his life and his exploits will surely feature in the list of worst goalkeeping blunders for some time.

And throughout it all Messi, termed the world's best player, remained a peripheral and largely ponderous figure, briefly flashing to life but staying invisible most of the time. The 30-year-old's dream of winning the World Cup now look remote.

With all the pre-match attention on Messi it was his Real Madrid counterpart Luka Modric who provided the game's true flash of creativity.The Croatian was the only player to find space and time in a bruising encounter and it was his moment of magic in the second half which settled the encounter.

Picking the ball up some 25 yards outside the Argentina area, Modric had the option of at least two passes but chose to bide his time before planting a fantastic shot past a hapless Caballero. Rakitic added a third in the extra-time putting the last nail on Argentina's coffin.

The Latin-Americans had only threatened briefly before then to equalise with Meza and Messi almost scrambling in a goal in the 64th minute. Beyond that Argentina looked largely clueless, and increasingly frustrated by Croatia.

They could have taken the lead in the first half but Enzo Perez missed an open goal from just 12 yards in the 30th minute. It was Argentina's only shot in the first half -- and perhaps their best chance throughout the evening.

Croatia now go into the knock-out stages with two consecutive wins as Messi and Argentina's World Cup dream hang on a thread after the 3-0 rout on Thursday. 

Here are the live updates: 

Minute 90+1: GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!! From the corner down the other end of the field, Rakitic, Kovacic and Mandzukic break down the middle of the park with a leisurely pace. It's Rakitic who puts the first shot on Caballero, saved by the keeper - but the ball deflects back to Kovacic who simply squares it back to the Barcelona man to score with ease. Its all over for Argentina.

Minute 84: Otamendi kicks Ivan Rakitic, gets into a brawl with the Croatian players. Gets a yellow. Frustration coming out in a wrong way. 

Minute 82:Kovasic (in) comes in for Perisic (out)

Minute 80:  GOAL!!!!!! Modric scores with a sublime shot, hammers the ball in to the right corner with a long range strike

Minute 73: Another defensive blunder by the Argentine side. The defence makes a complete mess after a Manduzic run into the box is deflected but not cleared.

Minute 71: Dybala has already started influencing the game within minutes of his introduction. He cuts in on the right flank and shots a curling ball towards the goal. Sails over the bar by inches. 

Minute 67 -- Dybala in for Enzo Perez.

Minute 66 -- Yellow card for Vrsaljko.

Minute 63: Croatia survive and Argentina falter. In a well-worked move, Higuain is sent towards the byline on the left by Perez. He pulls it back for Meza who sidefoots towards the bottom left but Subasic pokes the ball out.

Minute 57: Change for Croatia. Kramaric comes in for Croatia's goalscorrer, Rebic. He walks off the pitch with injury.

Minute 56: Two changes for Argentina. Higuain comes in for Aguerro and Pavon comes in for Salvio.

Rebic scores

Minute 55: GOAL!!!!! Rebic scores from a blunder by Argentina's goalkepeer. Willy Caballero tries to clear a ball but the ball harldy travels six yards in front of Andre Rebic.

Minute 51: Mercedo gets a yellow card after nastily hacking down Rebic.

Half-time report: Argentina fail to break the deadlock as a grinding first-half comes to a boring end. The game scattered with missed chances and nasty fouls saw both the teams miss genuine chances and open goal opportunities. The Argentina team look sloppy with their defending and the midfield lacks depth and creativity and will have to increase their work rate if they look to go home with three points.

Croatia's defence also look shaky, the midfield boosts of the likes of Modric and Rakitic but the team have failed to show any quality football in the first forty five minutes of game play. Argentina have controlled the maximum ball possession and also managed to create loopholes in the Croatian defence but the Latin American team have somehow failed to convert. 

Both the teams seem to be in deep slumber in the first half and need to attack with renewed vigour in order to break the deadlock in the second half.

Minute 43: The game is getting physical as the first half comes to a boring end. Croatia fail to hold the midfiled play as Argentina maintain the maximum possession but both the teams fail to break the deadlock. two minutes of extra-time added.

Minute 39: Rebic makes a nasty foul. Gets Yellow. First yellow of the game.

Minute 37: Play is stopped as Mercado clashes with Rebic mid-air. Argentina wins a free-kick and play resumes with Argentina playing with 10-men

Minute 33: Mandzukic misses another golden opportunity. Vrsaljko delivers a wonderful cross in off the right wing and the striker can only land a glance with his diving header going wide of the near post.  

Minute 30: What a miss by Perez! Meza fools Subasic and coaxes him out of his six yard area. Perez gets the deflected ball but shoots wide of an empty net! 

Minute 24: Zlatco Dalic's tactic is to try and dominate the midfield, with his side looking to create their opportunities from wide positions. Argentina seem to press forward but both the teams fade out in the final third.

Minute 21: La Albiceleste may have the majority of possession (67 per cent) , but they are yet to translate that to clear-cut opportunities in front of the goal. 

Minute 14: The match looks evenly balanced between the two teams with both the teams getting chances to score. Messi failed to connect a lobbed ball while Perisic's shot saved by Caballero.

Minute 12: Messi can't get the end of his foot on a chipped pass eight yards out from the Croatian goal. The ball goes safely into the hands of Subasic 

Minute 7: Mandzukic steps on Otamendi as the two chase a ball in the Argentina half and the latter wins a free-kick.

Minute 4: Croatia makes the first attack with Ivan Perisic coming down the left flank and places a danfgerous low shot towards the goal. Willy Caballero clears it for corner.

Kick-off!

Line-ups out:  Argentina has fielded a whole new starting XI as Mercado, Acuna, Perez comes in for Argentina and Marcos Rojo, Angel Di Maria and Lucas Biglia kept in the sidelines. Croatia, on the other hand, has made only one changes with Brozovic in for Kramaric.

Line-ups out

Messi made an unhappy start to the World Cup on Saturday, missing what would have been a winning penalty as Argentina were held to a 1-1 draw by the newcomers Iceland.

The result renewed doubts about Argentina's ability to mount a sustainable challenge at this World Cup.

Another adverse outcome on Thursday and many may even start to consider the unthinkable -- that Argentina could be on their way out at the group stage, mirroring their shock first round exit in 2002.

Legend Diego Maradona called the Iceland result a "disgrace" and warned coach Jorge Sampaoli that he would not be able to return to Argentina if Argentina continue to play in such a poor form.

Messi's missed penalty was accompanied by 11 unsuccessful shots, the most in a World Cup game by a single player since Italy's Luigi Riva in 1970. The four-time Ballon d'Or winner has faced massive criticism because of his dismal performance. The blows worsened especially after his counterpart Cristiano Ronaldo has shown scintillating form, carrying his team single-handedly with a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with Spain and a solo goal that made the difference in Portugal's win against Morocco. 

However, Argentine players have been quick to close ranks around the Barcelona superstar.

"We are all with him, he knows that he can count on the support of all of us more than ever," said Argentina striker Paulo Dybala.

"We are here to help him every moment, and of course we will be at his side," Dybala added.

Defender Cristian Ansaldi meanwhile insisted Messi was in good spirits despite the Iceland setback.

Despite the solitary point against Iceland, Argentina can take solace from a performance which saw them shoot 26 attempts at goal and have 72 per cent possession against Iceland.

Sampaoli is reportedly considering several changes for the game, including drafting in young forward Cristian Pavon for Angel Di Maria for more creativity up front.

Similarly, in midfield, Paris Saint-Germain's Giovani Lo Celso could start as Argentina seek more attacking options, possibly at the expense of Lucas Biglia.

The changes in the team will have the same job of supplying Messi and Sergio Aguero with the kind of service on which they would thrive in a potential 3-3-3-1 formation.

Croatia have secured a vital three points in their 2-0 win against Nigeria in their opening game, but their mood can hardly be described as euphoric.

They came into the tournament under a cloud, with captain Luka Modric charged with perjury in a corruption scandal that rocked Croatian football.

Zlatko Dalic stated that striker Nikola Kalinic has left Russia due to a back injury but reports surfaced that he refused to come on as a substitute after being left out of the starting line-up.

Apart from the off-field problems, Croatia will go into the match with the added advantage of knowing their opponents better than anyone else in Group D. Argentina's main weapon, Lionel Messi has been a long time teammate of Ivan Rakitic at Barcelona. Luka Modric who plays for Barcelona's arch-rivals Real Madrid has faced the Argentine sensation innumerous number of times. Both of them have the experience of facing Messi and know his playing style very well. Thier experience will be vital for Croatia chances in the Group D encounter. 

The teams have met only once before in the World Cup, in 1998, when Argentina won 1-0 and were the only team that year to prevent Golden Boot winner Davor Suker of Croatia, from scoring.