GAME OF THE DAY

ARGENTINA VS. CROATIA

Time: 2 p.m. TV: Fox What you need to know: Ahead of Thursday’s critical World Cup match against Croatia on the banks of the Volga River, Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli tried to temper the expectations weighing on his Lionel Messi. “Leo shouldn’t shoulder all the responsibility,” Sampaoli said. “He’s the best player in the world, but clearly it’s impossible that a single player completely changes the situation of a match. Messi missed a penalty in Argentina’s 1-1 draw against Iceland in the opening group match. That slip has piled the pressure on Argentina to win the second game against Croatia, which defeated Nigeria 2-0 in its opener. Messi turns 31 on Sunday, so this may be his last World Cup.

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