Despite Lionel Messi breaking his historic nine‑game streak of scoring a goal in the FIFA World Cup, the reigning champions Argentina kept their title defense alive, knocking out Switzerland to book the last semifinals spot on Sunday, July 12.
The Albiceleste opened the match roaring, as Alexis Mac Allister’s header off a Messi corner kick in the 10th minute put Argentina on the board, 1-0.
After nearly an hour of dry offense, the Swiss finally broke through in the 67th minute, as Dan Ndoye’s strike from the left flank found the inside of the box to place the match at a deadlock, 1-1.
The defending champions broke through in extra time once again, as Julian Alvarez’s shot from outside the penalty box in the 112th minute found nothing but net to regain the lead, 2-1.
A goal from Lautaro Martinez off the Thiago Almada miss in the 121st minute sealed the Argentinians a trip to the semis, 3-1.
Argentina Set for Thriller Against England
With the victory, Argentina now joins England, Spain, and France to complete the World Cup semis picture, and are set to face the Three Lions for a chance to seal back‑to‑back finals appearances.
England booked their first semis spot in eight years earlier on Sunday and only their fourth in team history after outlasting Norway in a 2-1 victory earlier in the day, headlined by two goals from standout midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Argentina hold the edge in experience, however, as they boast six semis appearances in its team’s history, also winning all of those matches to advance to the championship round.
Red Card Drains Momentum for Switzerland
Shortly after Ndoye’s equalizing goal, Swiss forward Breel Embolo incurred a yellow card for simulation. This immediately prompted a red card and disqualification, as he was already called for his first yellow earlier in the match for a foul on Leandro Paredes.
The ejection meant that Switzerland were forced to play the rest of the match with 10 players only, ultimately playing a crucial factor in their extra‑time loss against Argentina.
Despite the loss, Switzerland’s 2026 World Cup campaign still remains one of their greatest, as they booked their first quarterfinals appearance since 1954.
Argentina will look to enter their second consecutive World Cup Final, while England will look to enter only their second Final in team history when both teams square off on Thursday, July 16.
