Lionel Messi Details How He Destroyed Josko Gvardiol in World Cup Semis

There’s more that goes into scoring goals than just the final finish. The buildup, the piercing, and the passing also come as crucial aspects of scoring goals. When playing against strong teams, Lionel Messi‘s cerebrum seems to come up with extra folds. His assist against one of the notable defenders in the world, Josko Gvardiol, was more than terrestrial in the World Cup. And the star recently explained what kind of ideas went into that assistance.

The world saw one of the finest performances from a soccer player in the World Cup. Messi’s campaign included seven goals. But unlike many players, even the Argentine number 10’s assists are magical and equally euphoric to watch.

Lionel Messi gives a study of his invasion of the Croatian defense

Messi’s former rival Luka Modric and his team were looking dangerous after an incredible comeback win against the most successful team in the world, Brazil. But nothing mattered to Lionel Messi as he crawled past then-$100 million-valued defender Josko Gvardiol. According to ESPN, the Inter Miami star claims he initially wanted to get into the box directly. He explained, “I want to take it to the inside; try to cross in the race (against Gvardiol), and I can’t.”( Translated by DeepL)

However, the player chose disguise against the defender after he was outside the box post the initial run. Messi continued by saying, “I stop the race and hook to go out to one side, and I go out to the other.” After taking a left, the forward beat the 21-year-old and took it even deeper to the right. Messi finally nutmegged it through to Julian Alvarez, who had an easy finish.

The run from the center of the pitch certainly made it surreal for pundits to understand. Messi also said that once he could not get into the box earlier, he needed patience to master the defender. The Croatian team was outclassed to lose 3-0.

Messi’s plans for the future

Lionel Messi had initially hinted that the 2022 one could be his last World Cup. But La Pulga may reconsider his plans. He stated, “I can’t say that I won’t be there too, because anything can happen later. Due to age and situations, the most normal thing is that I will not be there, but we will see what happens.”

READ MORE – Lionel Messi Ignored the FIFA World Cup Trophy Before the Final Against France

The player’s focus is back on Copa America 2024. And if everything goes well, he may continue, says the star. The 36-year-old’s beast mode in the World Cup started with his goal against Mexico. Messi then scored in both the semi-finals and the finals, leading him to win the World Cup.

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