Argentina secured a place in the World Cup semi-finals with a dramatic 3-1 extra-time victory over 10-man Switzerland, setting up a showdown with England.
Goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez in extra time sealed the win after the match had ended level at the end of normal time.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring early for Argentina, but Dan Ndoye restored parity shortly after the restart. Switzerland’s hopes suffered a major setback when Breel Embolo was sent off, leaving them to play the remainder of the contest with 10 men.
Despite Switzerland’s determined defending forcing the game beyond 90 minutes, Argentina found the breakthrough in extra time. Alvarez and Martinez scored within nine minutes of each other to book Lionel Scaloni’s side a place in the last four.
After narrowly missing with a header moments earlier, Mac Allister broke the deadlock in the 10th minute by guiding Lionel Messi’s inviting corner from the left beyond Gregor Kobel and into the bottom-right corner.
The goal marked the first occasion Switzerland had fallen behind during their entire World Cup campaign, including qualifying. They responded quickly, with Djibril Sow trying his luck from long range, but Emiliano Martinez gathered the effort comfortably.
Switzerland looked far more threatening after the interval. Embolo and Ndoye both forced Martinez into saves with headers, while Granit Xhaka also tested the goalkeeper with a left-footed strike that was held on the second attempt.
Their pressure finally paid off in the 67th minute when Ndoye combined effectively with Ricardo Rodriguez before slipping the ball through Martinez’s legs to equalise. However, the momentum shifted again just five minutes later.
Already on a yellow card for a challenge on Leandro Paredes before half-time, Embolo received a second booking for simulation after going to ground under another challenge from the Argentine midfielder. The referee upgraded the decision following a VAR review, reducing Switzerland to 10 players.
Argentina pushed for a winner before full time. Mac Allister failed to direct a header on target after excellent work from Nico Gonzalez, while Messi cut inside and curled an effort narrowly wide, sending the match into extra time.
Clear opportunities remained limited until Messi’s shot was pushed away by Kobel. Argentina recycled possession, with Gonzalez finding Jose Manuel Lopez, who teed up Alvarez to bend a superb finish into the top-right corner.
Switzerland committed numbers forward in search of another equaliser, but that left space for Argentina to strike again. Alvarez dispossessed Xhaka before Thiago Almada’s attempt was saved by Kobel. The rebound fell kindly for Martinez, who finished to wrap up another dramatic Argentine victory.
Argentina will now meet England in the semi-finals on July 15 after England also required extra time to eliminate Norway.
Alvarez lands another knockout blow as Embolo’s red card proves costly
Although Messi’s streak of scoring in nine straight World Cup matches ended, he still played a decisive creative role. He has now provided 10 World Cup assists, putting him two clear of any other player since 1966, with Diego Maradona next on eight.
Mac Allister’s opener after 10 minutes was Argentina’s quickest World Cup goal since Gonzalo Higuain scored in the eighth minute against Belgium in the 2014 quarter-final. Switzerland, however, responded positively through Ndoye.
The turning point came with Embolo’s dismissal after receiving a second yellow card for simulation. He became the fourth player since 1966 to be sent off in that manner and the first since 2006, when Asamoah Gyan was dismissed for Ghana against Brazil. The red card ultimately proved decisive.
Argentina once again demonstrated their strength in extended matches. This was their 13th World Cup fixture to go to extra time—more than any other nation—and Alvarez’s decisive strike improved their record to 11 wins in those contests.
The Atletico Madrid forward also ended his World Cup scoring drought, netting for the first time since his semi-final brace at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Four of his five World Cup goals have now come during the knockout stages.
For Switzerland, the defeat continued a familiar pattern against Argentina on the World Cup stage. Their previous meeting came in the 2014 round of 16, when Argentina also progressed after extra time thanks to Angel Di Maria’s 118th-minute winner.I can also make it read more like an original match report rather than a close paraphrase if that’s your goal.
