Croatia manager Dalic explains why he was not surprised with Messi’s dominant World Cup semifinal performance

Lionel Messi orchestrated a stunning performance in the 2022 FIFA World Cup Semifinal round on Tuesday, which was what Croatia national team manager Zlatko Dalic “expected” to see from him.

Messi chipped in with one goal and one assist in Argentina’s 3-0 win over Croatia. The Paris Saint-Germain forward hit the back of the net with his penalty kick in the first half, and he put the match away with an assist to Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez in the second half.

Dalic had a front-row seat to watch one of Messi’s greatest outings in the sport’s biggest tournament, and it was far from a surprise to him to see the PSG star put on quite a show.

“Well, not much needs to be said about Messi’s qualities,” Dalic said during his post-match press conference. “In the past 15 years, he’s probably the best player in the world.

“He was good and dangerous and makes a difference in the Argentina team. He has the explosivity and technique at a very high performance, and it’s the true Messi we expected to see.”

Messi has recorded at least one goal contribution in five out of Argentina’s six matches at the World Cup.

Messi sure is set to be a close observer of the upcoming World Cup semifinal encounter between France and Morocco before beginning preparations for the final of the tournament.