Alan Shearer praises Argentina for sending Lionel Messi up for their first penalty

Alan Shearer said the order of Argentina’s penalty takers was ‘key’ to their progression on Friday, after Brazil were knocked out in a penalty shoot-out earlier in the day.

Neymar did not take a penalty for Brazil as they were in fifth place, and the star striker looked distraught as Marquinhos rocked the post with his attempt to send Croatia into the semi-finals.

Argentina took a different approach, with their talisman Lionel Messi coolly scoring his first penalty after scoring one earlier in the match.

Lionel Messi helped send Argentina to the World Cup semi-finals with an elegant penalty

Brazil sat out against Croatia after Neymar failed to take a penalty in the shootout

Shearer felt that allowing the team’s best shooter to go first was a vital move, explaining: “This for me is key in a penalty shoot-out, what Argentina and Brazil did not: get your best penalty early, just to set the tone.

“It’s a mental game when you take a penalty in the game and then you do it in the shootout. I had it against Argentina in 1998.’

The former England striker went on to praise Messi for his role in Argentina’s opening goal, adding: “It’s amazing the way he travels with the ball, and having the ability to spot that pass and run, and the weight of passing .

Alan Shearer felt it was a ‘key’ decision to give Messi the first kick of the penalty shootout

‘Nahuel Molina’s first touch and finishing were also exceptional. It’s a fantastic goal.’

He went on to comment on the exceptional atmosphere of the fans, saying that he felt like he was ‘90% Argentinian’ in the stadium.

The first semi-final is now set as Croatia vs Argentina, and it will take place on Tuesday.

As for the other two quarter-final spots, Morocco will play Portugal on Saturday in the quarter-final, followed by England against France on the same day. The winners will meet on Wednesday for a place in the final.