The seats were full even before the players went onto the field for their pre-match warm-up.
A total of 88,966 people were fortunate enough to obtain the hottest ticket in town.
They came to watch Argentina play Croatia on Tuesday night at the magnificent Lusail stadium. In actuality, they came to see Lionel Messi, the small guy wearing the number 10 on Argentina's jersey, deliver another spectacular performance.
In this tournament, Argentina's fans want Messi to perform — and he did not disappoint.
Croatia controlled the tempo of the semifinal encounter for the first 30 minutes, moving the ball around and attempting to disrupt Argentina's set-up.
The Albicelestes fans were not as rowdy as in previous matches. There was tension in the air, and only the most ardent fans dared to make a sound.
This pensiveness was unsurprising given Croatia's 3-0 victory against South America in the 2018 World Cup.
Messi spent the majority of the opening half hour of the game wandering around, seemingly unconcerned, his body language not revealing much.
But, just as when Argentina faced Mexico and later the Netherlands, Messi's moments of brilliance were on the way.
"We didn't get off to a good start. "Messi didn't see much of the ball because of how Croatia started," said Cristian Rolero, an Argentine who traveled from Miami to witness his favorite play.

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