Argentina beat 10-man Switzerland in extra time to set up England semi-final clash

Having staged a dramatic late comeback to edge past Egypt in the last 16, Lionel Scaloni’s side knew an improved display was needed against Switzerland in Kansas City.  The South American giants came flying out of the blocks, and their early intent was rewarded in the 10th minute when Lionel Messi’s outswinging corner was superbly glanced into the far corner by Alexis Mac Allister.

Armed with the momentum, Argentina remained on the front foot, with Switzerland’s only threat coming through Djibril Sow, whose powerful long-range effort was comfortably saved by Emiliano Martinez.

After a disjointed opening half-hour, the Rossocrociati looked to up the ante in the final third, as Breel Embolo raced onto a promising through ball from Dan Ndoye, only for Martinez to sprint from his line and tackle the Swiss forward on the edge of the box.

Encouraged by that opportunity, Murat Yakin’s men continued to see plenty of the ball, with Argentina seemingly content to sit back and wait for counter-attacks, as La Seleccion failed to register another shot following Mac Allister’s opener before HT.

The early stages of the second period followed a similar pattern to the first, with Nahuel Molina dragging a low strike wastefully wide for Scaloni’s side, while at the other end, Lisandro Martinez produced an excellent last-ditch block to deny Ndoye.

Having suffered just one defeat across their last 19 games (W12, D6), Switzerland continued to probe for an equaliser, and after Martinez denied Embolo and Granit Xhaka in quick succession, the Swiss finally made their pressure count in the 67th minute, as Ndoye combined brilliantly with Ricardo Rodriguez before slotting a clinical finish under the body of Martinez.

The Rossocrociati’s joy was short-lived, however, with Embolo receiving a second yellow card just five minutes later for an inexplicable dive near the halfway line.

That moment of madness handed the initiative to Argentina in the final quarter-hour, and they wasted several chances to score the winner in regulation time, as Messi curled narrowly wide from the edge of the box and Martinez saw an acrobatic effort thwarted by Gregor Kobel. 

The one-way traffic continued in extra time, with substitute Thiago Almada firing into the side-netting from 20 yards, while Messi saw another strike repelled by Kobel.

Undeterred by those missed opportunities, Scaloni’s side finally found the all-important goal in the 112th minute, as Alvarez cut in from the left flank and swept a spectacular 25-yard effort into the top corner to send the Argentine support into raptures.

In response, Switzerland threw everyone forward in pursuit of a late leveller, but Lautaro Martinez put the seal on a dramatic victory with a clinical rebound from 12 yards, setting up a mouthwatering semi-final meeting with England on Wednesday.