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Lionel Messi bent over, clutched his left hamstring and appeared to grimace, immediately spreading panic through the soccer world but especially among all Argentines.

Was their superstar — their idol — injured? Was he going to have to come off early in the World Cup semifinals?

No such luck for Croatia.

Before long, Messi was producing perhaps the best performance of his record-tying 25 appearances at the World Cup, leading Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Croatia on Tuesday that set up a meeting with either France or Morocco in Sunday’s final, Associated Press reported.

Messi is back in soccer’s biggest match on his mission to win the game’s greatest prize for the first time. At 35, he could hardly be playing any better.

Messi converted a penalty and played a part in the other two goals by Julián Álvarez — one with an outrageous piece of skill that brought roars of approval from Argentina’s huge following — to turn an initially tense occasion into a procession.

It will be Messi’s second World Cup final — Argentina lost the other one to Germany in 2014 — in what might be his last appearance at the tournament.

The stage is set for a player widely regarded as one of the game’s best, if not the absolute best, to go out on the ultimate high.

He is thrilling his legion of fans along the way.

His swivel and driving run to set up the third goal for Álvarez in the 69th minute left Josko Gvardiol — one of the best defenders at the World Cup — grasping at thin air and epitomized Messi’s confidence and swagger.

He is embracing the responsibility of leading Argentina to its third World Cup title, scoring in five of his six games in Qatar.

He even had a penalty saved in the one game in which he didn’t score.

“I am honored to train him and see him play,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who was in tears in the post-match celebrations. “Every time you see him play, it’s a huge source of motivation for his teammates, fans and the whole world.”

Croatia failed in its bid to reach a second straight World Cup final after conceding two goals in a five-minute span from the 34th, just when the team was looking comfortable at Lusail Stadium and Messi was raising concerns by rubbing his hamstring.

Maybe it was a ruse. Messi was soon toying with his opponents in a way only he can and put Argentina ahead by lifting his penalty into the top corner after Álvarez was taken out by Dominik Livakovic after clipping the ball past the Croatia goalkeeper, according to Associated Press.

Álvarez scored himself in the 39th after a surging run from halfway, which started after he collected Messi’s short pass. Then came the crowning moment, Álvarez’s second goal, after Messi took Gvardiol for a ride in the right corner.

It was one game too far for Croatia, which had beaten Japan and Brazil on penalties in the knockout stage, and star midfielder Luka Modric, who — at 37 — has likely played his final World Cup match.

Summing up a frustrating game for the little midfield magician, he was substituted in the 81st minute and had a bright red nose after the ball slammed into his face moments earlier.

“The first goal took the match in a different direction,” Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić said. “It’s the true Messi we all expected to see.”

Argentina maintained its record of never having lost in the World Cup semifinals and has reached the final for the sixth time.

Those dark days after losing to Saudi Arabia in its opening group match seem so long ago now for Argentina, which will be hard to stop in the final with Messi playing this well, Associated Press reported.

“Even though we lost our first match, we were confident that this group was going to push forward,” Messi said. “We know what we are, and we called on the fans to believe in us.”

France’s players reacted as if they had already won the World Cup. What they were actually celebrating, though, was Harry Kane’s missed penalty.

The match wasn’t over yet, but France was leading 2-1 when Kane, England’s captain and its best player, stepped up to take a penalty that would even the score in the 84th minute of Saturday’s match at Al Bayt Stadium, Associated Press reported.

He sent his shot high over the bar and defending champion France held on to win 2-1 for a spot in the semifinals.

“That’s football,” England coach Gareth Southgate said. “There is nobody I would rather have in that situation and if we had one tomorrow, I’d feel exactly the same way.”

France is looking to become the first country to successfully defend its World Cup title since Brazil — led by Pele — won back-to-back tournaments in 1958 and 1962. Italy also won two World Cups in succession in 1934 and 1938.

France will next face Morocco on Wednesday for a spot in the final.

“We are getting to the semifinals. We are closer to the final and this was an important achievement tonight and we can believe, but we have an important game on Wednesday,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “In the past the world champions didn’t always do well in the next World Cup and we’ve managed to do that.”

France knows that all too well.

As defending champions in 2002, the French team was eliminated in the group stage. France reached the final in 2006, losing to Italy in a penalty shootout, and then was knocked out in the group stage four years later in 2010.

On Saturday, Aurelian Tchouameni gave France the lead but England evened the score when Kane converted from the penalty spot in the 54th minute. Olivier Giroud put France back in front with a header in the 78th minute, setting up Kane for that chance to equalize again against his Tottenham teammate, France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

That’s when he blasted his shot over.

“It is very difficult when you get a second penalty and, of course, a goalkeeper that knows you really well as well,” Southgate said. “There’s a lot involved in that situation. He’s the best, but the best are still 85% (accurate), so even the best are going to miss at times.”

Kane sank to his knees after the final whistle. His earlier goal put him in a tie with Wayne Rooney as his country’s leading scorer, but that wasn’t what mattered, according to Associated Press.

At the same time, an elated France team ran across the field in a blue wave of celebration before gathering together in a huddle, bouncing up and down joyously.

The singing and dancing continued into the locker room.

Morocco, the first African team to reach the semifinals of a World Cup, now stands in the way of France’s bid to make history.

“Allow us to savour our victory tonight against a very good England team,” Deschamps said when faced with questions about his next opponent.

For Southgate, it’s time for reflection as he decides whether to carry on in the England job after leading the team through three tournaments since he was hired in 2016.

“Whenever I’ve finished these tournaments I’ve needed time to make the correct decision because emotionally you go through so many different feelings and the energy that it takes through these tournaments is enormous,” he said. “I want to make the right decision, whatever that is for the team, for England, the FA (Football Association). I think it is right to take time to do that.

Africa finally has a team in the World Cup semifinals, and so does the Arab world.

Morocco delivered a seminal moment in the nearly 100-year history of soccer’s biggest tournament, beating Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal team 1-0 Saturday in another shocking result in the first World Cup staged in the Middle East, Associated Press reported.

While a tearful Ronaldo headed right down the tunnel — and maybe into international retirement — after the final whistle, Morocco’s players tossed their coach in the air and waved their country’s flag as they linked arms in front of celebrating fans.

“Pinch me, I’m dreaming,” Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said. “Morocco is ready to face anyone in the world. We have changed the mentality of the generation coming after us. They’ll know Moroccan players can create miracles.”

Youssef En-Nesyri scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute to continue an improbable run that has generated an outpouring of pride in the Arab world, inspiring displays in Arab identity from fans in different countries.

Morocco has broken through, setting up a semifinal match against defending champion France.

The 37-year-old Ronaldo, one of soccer’s greatest players but now a fading force, didn’t start for the second straight game and came on as a substitute in the 51st minute. He missed his only chance to equalize in stoppage time.

The five-time world player of the year is set to finish his career without capturing the World Cup or ever getting to the final. He walked right off the field after the final whistle, only briefly stopped by two Morocco players wishing to shake his hand and a spectator who confronted him near the entrance to the tunnel, and was crying as he headed to the locker room.

If this is the end for Ronaldo at international level, he’ll finish with 118 goals — a record in men’s soccer — and a European Championship title but not soccer’s biggest prize. He only got as far as the semifinals at the World Cup, in 2006.

“Our players are distressed,” said Portugal coach Fernando Santos, who shrugged off questions about his own future and added that he didn’t regret not starting Ronaldo. “Cristiano is a great player and he came on when we thought it was necessary. But no, no regrets.”

There’s no reason why this Morocco squad — coached by French-born Walid Regragui and containing 14 players born abroad — cannot go all the way to the title. They topped a group that included second-ranked Belgium and fellow semifinalist Croatia and have now taken down two of Europe’s heavyweights in Spain — after a penalty shootout in the round of 16 — and Portugal in the quarterfinals, according to Associated Press.

“Why shouldn’t we dream of winning the World Cup?” Regragui said. “If you don’t dream, you don’t get anywhere. It doesn’t cost you to dream.”

Morocco’s defense has yet to concede a goal by an opposition player at this year’s World Cup — the only one it has allowed was an own-goal — and it stifled a Portugal team which beat Switzerland 6-1 in the last 16 to thrust itself among the favorites.

In a game played to the backdrop of non-stop whistles and jeers by Morocco’s passionate fans, the team relied almost exclusively on counterattacks and scored from one of them.

A cross was swung in from the left and En-Nesyri leapt between Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa and defender Ruben Dias to head into the empty net.

Ronaldo, who will be 41 by the time of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, barely got a touch of the ball until stoppage time when he got in behind Morocco’s defense off a long ball forward. His low shot was saved by Bounou.

“I was afraid he might play,” Regragui said of Ronaldo, “because I know he can score out of nothing.”

Substitute Walid Cheddira was shown a red card for Morocco early in stoppage time for collecting a second yellow card in as many minutes.

Lionel Messi started the match by delivering another soccer clinic. The Argentina superstar ended it sporting a bloodied top lip, shouting abuse to opponents and even blasting the referee.

And of course there were goals, too, for one of the greats of the game whose bid to win the World Cup for the first time is still on track.

Messi is heading to the semifinals with Argentina after a chaotic penalty-shootout victory over Netherlands that had just about everything on Friday.

Argentina took a 2-0 lead, conceded an equalizer in the 11th minute of second-half stoppage time to send the match to extra time at 2-2, and then won the shootout 4-3 amid a deafening noise inside Lusail Stadium, Associated Press reported.

Messi, who scored a penalty in regulation time, converted his penalty in the shootout while goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez made two saves to help Argentina secure a semifinal match against Croatia, which beat Brazilearlier Friday.

After Lautaro Martinez scored the clinching penalty, Messi — with his arms outstretched — sprinted toward the goalkeeper, who had fallen to the ground to the side of the goal, and lay on top of him.

“We had to suffer,” Messi said, “but we got through.”

Messi did, especially, in an often violent match that featured 17 yellow cards — a record for a World Cup match — two of which went to Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries, leading to him getting sent off after the game.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni called the game “ugly” and Messi was critical of the Spanish referee, Antonio Mateu, saying: “I don’t think he was up to the standard. He was very harmful for us.”

In a side of Messi rarely seen, he also broke off from his post-match interview on the field to shout abuse at the scorer of the Netherlands’ two goals, Wout Weghorst.

“What are you looking at, stupid?” Messi was heard saying.

Messi and his teammates hung around on the field for 20 minutes at the end, taking turns dancing and jumping up and down in front of Argentina’s celebrating, scarf-waving fans.

Messi said the late Diego Maradona was looking over the team.

“Diego is watching us from heaven,” Messi said of the former Argentina captain and coach who died two years ago. “He is pushing us. I hope it stays like that until the end.”