Argentina booked a place in the World Cup semifinals after edging Switzerland 3-1 following extra time in a dramatic quarterfinal clash on Saturday.
Julián Álvarez produced a moment of brilliance to restore Argentina’s lead, while Lautaro Martínez sealed the victory with a goal in the closing seconds of extra time, giving the scoreline a more comfortable look than the contest truly reflected.
Alexis Mac Allister had earlier opened the scoring, heading home Lionel Messi’s corner kick as La Albiceleste set up a semifinal showdown with England in Atlanta on Wednesday.
England secured their place after defeating Norway 2-1 earlier on Saturday.
Although Messi’s remarkable nine-match World Cup scoring streak came to an end, the Argentina captain remains on course to chase a second World Cup crown.
The turning point came midway through the second half in a decision that is likely to fuel further debate over officiating at the tournament.
Switzerland had drawn level in the 67th minute through Dan Ndoye when Leandro Paredes was initially booked for a challenge on Breel Embolo.
However, video replays indicated Embolo had gone to ground before contact was made. Following a VAR review under FIFA’s “mistaken identity” protocol, Embolo, who had already been cautioned earlier in the match, was instead shown a second yellow card and sent off, forcing Switzerland to finish the game with 10 men.
It marked only the second time at this World Cup that the mistaken identity protocol had been used to overturn a yellow-card decision.
The semifinal lineup also made history, with Argentina, England, France and Spain, the world’s top four FIFA-ranked teams, reaching the last four together for the first time since the rankings were introduced in 1992.
Argentina extended their World Cup unbeaten run to 12 matches, although their journey through the knockout rounds has been anything but straightforward.
Lionel Scaloni’s men needed extra time to eliminate Cape Verde before staging a dramatic comeback from two goals down in the final 11 minutes against Egypt to reach the quarterfinals.
Switzerland, meanwhile, were competing in their first World Cup quarterfinal since 1954. They remain without a semifinal appearance and have still never defeated Argentina in eight meetings, including three at the World Cup.
Having spent the past month based in Kansas City, where they trained at Sporting Kansas City’s facilities, Argentina enjoyed overwhelming support once again at Arrowhead Stadium.
Thousands of fans packed the venue, hoping for another memorable performance from Messi, who had scored a hat-trick there against Algeria earlier in the tournament.
Played in hot and humid conditions that eased after sunset, the match marked the 100th fixture of the expanded World Cup and the final quarterfinal encounter.
Switzerland, who had conceded only three goals in their previous five matches, started confidently and controlled possession early on.
However, Messi quickly influenced the game, creating the corner that led to Mac Allister’s headed opener.
The Swiss struggled to break down Argentina’s defence for much of the contest, a task made even more difficult by the absence of injured midfielder Johan Manzambi.
Nevertheless, they found an equaliser when Ricardo Rodríguez threaded a precise pass into Ndoye, who calmly beat Emiliano Martínez.
Switzerland’s hopes were dented after Embolo’s dismissal, allowing Argentina to pile on the pressure. Mac Allister went close with a late header before Messi narrowly missed in stoppage time, sending the contest into extra time.
With their numerical advantage, Argentina eventually found the breakthrough as Álvarez struck a superb winner before Martínez added a late third, ensuring the defending champions kept their dream of retaining the World Cup alive.
