Qatar 2022: World Cup Semi-Finals Talking Points

World Cup semi-finals kick off tonight with Argentina locking horns with Croatia at 21:00 at the Lusail Stadium, and the defending champions will play Morocco on Wednesday night at Al Bayt Stadium also at 21:00

Here we look at the key talking points ahead of both semi-final fixtures:

Messi To Claim The GOAT Status?

Messi has the chance to end the debate once and for all after Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal got eliminated by Morocco in the quarter-finals.

Ronaldo’s Euro 2016 victory had him slightly ahead, before Messi’s Copa America success in 2021. The World Cup is the final piece of silver wear that could make the Argentine the ultimate GOAT of the modern football era.

France To Defend Their World Cup Title

With Injuries to Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Christopher Nkunku, and Presnel Kimpembe, France is not quite the side they were in 2018 However they have shown more determination to defend their World Cup title.

Should France manage to defend their World Cup title and leave Qatar victorious, they will join Italy and Brazil to win consecutive World Cups.

Will Morocco Carry The African Dream?

Morocco are the first African nation to ever reach the World Cup semi-finals. It is a story all Africans should be proud of, this Moroccan team and players will go down as legends in African football history.

Morocco will have the entire continent of Africa and the Arab-speaking world behind them, willing them to go where no other African nation has gone before.

Croatia’s World Cup Title Quest Continues

Senior players such as Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic have shown their class for years, but the old guard have been helped by younger players who have added quality and energy.

Croatia will need all their mental steeliness and powers of concentration to overcome not just Messi and his mates, but the vehement support for Argentina that will await them at the enormous Lusail Stadium.

You can expect Croatia to deal with the occasion in a way only a few could. They’ll drown out the noise as they always rise on big occasions.

Siphamandla Lindwa

Siphamandla Lindwa is a sports writer and a publisher for Bet Central at Bet.co.za. He obtained a B-Tech in Sports Management from Tshwane University of Technology. When not writing sports content, Sipha scouts talent and networks for his future Sports Management agency.