FIFA World Cup 2022: Major records shattered during Argentina vs Croatia semifinal

Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez yet again emerged as the star-striking duo for Argentina in the first semifinal at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between Argentina and Croatia. Thirty-five-year-old Messi scored his fifth goal of the ongoing tournament in the 35th minute of the match to hand Argentina their first goal of the night. Five minutes later, 22-year-old Julian Alvarez then found the back of the net to double the lead before Messi’s incredible assist was converter by the youngster in the 69th minute. 

With their performance on the night, the Argentine duo shattered a no. of FIFA World Cup records. While Alvarez matched Brazilian legend Pele in a major record book, the seven-time Balon d’Or winner surpassed legends like Diego Maradona and Gabriel Batistuta in the World Cup record books for Argentina. Here’s a look at the prominent records that were broken during Argentina vs Croatia FIFA World Cup 2022 semifinal.

Records broken by Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi during Argentina vs Croatia

Julian Alvarez becomes the youngest player to score twice in a FIFA World Cup semifinal since the legendary Pele in 1958. While Pele was 17 years old during the 1958 World Cup, Argentina’s Carlos Peucelle achieved the record at age 21 in 1930. Here’s a look at the records broken by Messi during the match.

With a goal and an assist in the match, Messi now stands next to Pele in the all-time list of players to register the most goals and assists in World Cup history. While Pele’s tally sits at 20 (12 goals +8 assists), Messi’s tally now stands at 19 (11 goals + 8 assists). By registering his 11th overall goal in the tournament, the star player also became the highest goal scorer at the World Cup for Argentina. 

Gabriel Batistuta previously held the major record with 10 goals against his name. Meanwhile, Messi’s assist was his third in the ongoing tournament and his ninth overall, and it made his cross Maradona’s tally of eight assists. Messi is now the highest assist provider in the tournament for his country. At the same time, Messi surpassed Germany’s Lothar Matthaus by making his 25th overall appearance at the WC and becoming the player with the most appearances in the competition's history.