Billed as Modric v Messi, there was only one winner here

Forget Argentina v Croatia, this was billed as Messi versus Modric, the battle of two flyweights able to call themselves heavyweights, small in stature but giants of the game

DUAL: Lionel Messi of Argentina and Luka Modric of Croatia shake hands after the FIFA World Cup semi-final match at Lusail Stadium in Lusail City, Qatar. Pic: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Forget Argentina v Croatia; in the modern era of global football and the new-fangled fan, this was billed as Messi versus Modric, the battle of two flyweights able to call themselves heavyweights, small in stature but giants of the game.

In the end it turned out to be a mis-match, so one-sided that if it had been a boxing bout, the towel would have been thrown in well before the game was up.