AL DAAYEN, Qatar -- Knockout tournaments like the World Cup generally require you to finish strong, unlike, say, a league format where you can build up a big lead at the start and hobble first across the finish line. Argentina evidently got the message. On the night that Lionel Messi scored his 11th World Cup goal (surpassing Gabriel Batistuta for most in the country's men's tournament history) in his 25th World Cup match (equalling Lothar Matthaus) they reached their sixth World Cup final in the most convincing way possible.
Argentina came out for their pre-match warmup with the swagger of a pro wrestler, as the Lusail Stadium DJ played Rodrigo's "La Mano de Dios," the homage to Diego Maradona set to a "cumbia" beat.