Argentina set up a World Cup semi-final against England as Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez scored in extra time to propel the reigning champions to a 3-1 win over Switzerland on Saturday.
Alvarez’s curling shot and Martinez’s tap-in settled a tense contest after Alexis Mac Allister had opened the scoring and Dan Ndoye equalised for the Swiss, who had Breel Embolo sent off in the second half.
Fans of the South American team dominated the stands in Kansas City and were celebrating as early as the 10th minute when their hero Lionel Messi set up Mac Allister’s opener.
Switzerland levelled midway through the second half through Ndoye, but minutes later disaster struck when Embolo was sent off after picking up a second yellow card for simulation.
The match went to extra-time and Switzerland snuffed out wave after wave of attacks until Alvarez curled a breathtaking strike into the top corner in the 112th minute. Martinez added gloss with a last-gasp third.
“We had to suffer a lot but we knew they were a physical team,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni. “We had many difficulties. Sometimes we couldn’t find the solutions, but today we had luck on our side because one of their players was sent off.”
The hard-fought victory means the top four teams in the FIFA rankings will contest the semi-finals of the 2026 tournament. Argentina are now unbeaten in their past 12 World Cup matches as they attempt to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain their World Cup crown.
Argentina took the lead with their first effort on target when Mac Allister rose between two Swiss defenders to glance a header into the far corner. Messi was the provider from a corner, taking his tally of assists across six World Cups to 10.
The Swiss struggled to counter-punch but had a good chance on the half hour when goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was quickly off his line to deny Embolo.
The game struggled to catch fire early in the second half, but Switzerland got their deserved reward in the 67th minute when Ndoye swept home following a clever ball from Ricardo Rodriguez. Five minutes later, Switzerland shot themselves in the foot when Embolo, who had been booked in the first half, threw himself to the ground and was dismissed following a VAR check.
Argentina finally broke Switzerland’s brave resistance with Alvarez’s moment of magic, which was celebrated by the whole squad, who were on the pitch again minutes later following Martinez’s strike.
Now the winners will turn their attention to the challenge of facing England in Atlanta on Wednesday after Thomas Tuchel’s men overcame Norway 2-1 earlier on Saturday.
The history of matches between England and Argentina is peppered with flashpoints on the pitch, set against a lingering sovereignty dispute over the Falkland Islands. Four years after Britain reclaimed the islands in 1982, Argentina secured a 2-1 victory over England at the Estadio Azteca with goals from Diego Maradona. The teams have faced each other twice in World Cups since 1986 — Argentina won on penalties in 1998 while England gained revenge four years later.
