Messi's genius propels Argentina to the World Cup final in Qatar.

Even before the players took the field for their pre-game warm-up, every seat in the stadium was occupied.

88,966 fortunate individuals obtained the hottest ticket in town.

Tuesday evening, they traveled to the gorgeous Lusail stadium to watch Argentina play Croatia. In actuality, they came to see Lionel Messi, the small player who wears number 10 for Argentina, deliver another vintage performance.

Fans attending Argentina's games in this tournament expect Messi to deliver, and he did not disappoint.

In the first thirty minutes of the semifinal encounter, Croatia controlled the tempo, moved the ball, and attempted to disrupt the Argentine set-up.

The Albicelestes supporters were less vociferous than at past games. The atmosphere was tense, and only diehard supporters ventured to make noise.

This pensiveness was not unexpected, given that Croatia defeated South America 3-0 in their 2018 World Cup match.

Messi spent the majority of the opening half hour of the game just strolling around, his body language revealing little.

However, just like when Argentina faced Mexico and then the Netherlands, Messi's magical moments were approaching.

"We did not start well. Messi did not see much of the ball due to Croatia's aggressive opening," said Cristian Rolero, an Argentine who traveled from Miami to watch his hero play.