​Argentina defeated 10-man Switzerland in extra time after a superb Julian Álvarez strike booked their semi-final spot, setting up a tantalising World Cup semi-final against England. The South Americansstarted quickly and took the lead with a simple corner routine, Lionel Messi delivering from the left to Alexis Mac Allister, whose header found the net in the first half.
Dan Ndoye and Ricardo Rodríguez forged a neat link in the second half, and Ndoye fired the equaliser from a tight angle on the left after a clever exchange with Rodríguez. Moments later, Switzerland were reduced to ten when Breel Embolo was booked for simulation because of a mistaken identity VAR decision. The Swiss pressed on, but Argentina closed out the remainder of regular time as both sides headed for extra time.
In extra time, a moment of Álvarez magic put Argentina ahead. The forward produced a moment of quality with a superb strike, curling the ball into the top corner to break the deadlock. Shortly after, substitute Lautaro Martínez sealed the victory with a late, decisive goal in extra time, ensuring the holders’ title defence would continue.
Argentina started with intent, and Messi was involved early again, delivering a corner that Mac Allister headed home to give the team the lead. The Swiss were bright in response, with Ndoye threading a through-ball to Embolo, though Argentine defenders blocked the danger on multiple occasions.
Early in the second half, Embolo played a pivotal pass to Ndoye, but the chance was thwarted by more resilient Argentine defending. Switzerland kept probing, and Ndoye and Rodríguez combined to craft a chance that Ndoye finished with a neat touch to level the scores in the 67th minute.
A VAR review altered the course of the match, with Embolo receiving a red card after a mistaken identity decision had originally booked Leandro Paredes for a foul on Embolo. The dismissal left Switzerland a man down with around 20 minutes of normal time remaining, intensifying Argentina’s urgency.
Despite controlled pressure from the Argentines in extra time, Switzerland frustrated their opponents with solid defensive organization. The breakthrough finally came in the second half of extra time when Álvarez struck. His first shot on target of the match found the upper corner, leaving the Swiss with little time to respond. Not long after, Martínez added a late goal to seal a 3-1 win and book Argentina’s place in the final four to face England.