Argentina is under the pressure as they take on a tenacious Croatia that has little regard for the story.

Argentina takes on Croatia in the World Cup semifinal, pitting South American flare against Luka Modric’s cunning and impressive spirit of battle.

Against the defeated finalists from 2018, Lionel Messi, aged 35, will try to lead Argentina into the final at Lusail Stadium for the second time in eight years.

Messi, who lost to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, is eager to emulate another Argentine hero, the late Diego Maradona, and cap off an exceptional career by eventually winning the World Cup.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward played a key role in Friday’s dramatic quarterfinal victory over the Netherlands, which saw a tournament record 18 yellow cards issued and players from both teams engage in a scuffle as the referee battled to regain control.

The game ended with Argentina players rushing out to celebrate their penalty shootout victory while attempting to insult their upset Dutch opponents.

Croatia hasn’t won a knockout game in regular time at a major tournament since they finished third at the 1998 World Cup, when they defeated pre-tournament favorites Brazil and Japan in penalty shootouts to advance.

Four years ago, a nation of 3.9 million people shocked the football world by making it to the final, where France shattered their hopes with a 4-2 victory.

Croatia has once again beaten the odds to stand on the verge of a second straight final, with Real Madrid playmaker Modric still serving as the team’s captain at the age of 37.

This Croatian team absorbs everything. They take a lot of pressure under Luka Modri’s leadership, and then, just when you think they’re about to collapse, they wrangle themselves for one last squeeze.