Argentina Reach Semis as Alvarez Stunner Sinks Swiss
Argentina beat ten-man Switzerland 3-1 in extra time in Kansas City. Julian Alvarez's long-range strike sent Messi's side into a semifinal against England.
- Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in the World Cup quarterfinal in Kansas City.
- Mac Allister headed the opener in the 10th minute, Ndoye equalized in the 67th, and Embolo was sent off after a VAR check.
- Julian Alvarez struck from distance in the 112th minute, and Lautaro Martinez sealed it in the 121st.
- England await Argentina in the semifinal.
When the ball left Alvarez’s boot in the 112th minute, Kansas City fell into that half-second of silence that always comes before the roar. The Swiss keeper moved, but late. The ball had already nestled under the bar, and Argentina had dragged themselves out of a dead heat and onto the edge of a semifinal. The bench in blue and white emptied, Messi threw his arms wide, and Switzerland, down to ten men, just stared at the grass.
A match that had looked like a hard, edgy scrap until then turned on a single moment. Argentina came out fast and led early, but Switzerland bared their teeth and clawed back into it when least expected. Then a red card changed everything, and Alvarez punished the space the extra man had opened up.
How was the game decided in Kansas City?
Argentina led inside 10 minutes. Messi swung in a corner, Alexis Mac Allister peeled off his marker and headed home. Thousands of miles from home, in a stadium draped in Argentine colors, it looked as if the night would pass quietly.
But Switzerland did not fold. The pressure built, and in the 67th minute Dan Ndoye equalized to restore the tension. The tie hung in the balance until VAR called the referee to the monitor. After the review, Breel Embolo was shown a straight red card, leaving his side a man short at the worst possible time.
With the extra man, Argentina forced the game into extra time and hunted for a crack. Alvarez found it, coolly, from distance, with the kind of strike that lives on the replays. Lautaro Martinez made it 3-1 in the 121st minute to close the door.
What comes next for Messi’s side?
Argentina now face England in the semifinal, a fixture that carries a history far bigger than any single tournament. Messi moves a step closer to another final, and Alvarez has shown the team does not lean on its captain alone when the going gets tight.
Switzerland head home feeling closer than the scoreline suggests, but the red card at the decisive moment cost them dearly. Argentina, meanwhile, face a tougher and calmer opponent than the frantic Swiss ever were.
Can Alvarez carry Argentina through England as coolly as this, or is Messi once again destined to shoulder the heaviest load?
