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Argentina booked their place in the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup after a dramatic and thrilling 3-1 extra-time victory over Switzerland in a quarter-final match that brought the two teams together in the early hours of Sunday at the Kansas City Stadium, setting up a semi-final with England next Wednesday.
The reigning champions had Swiss striker Brielle Embolo sent off in the 72nd minute after picking up a second yellow card for feigning a fall, and leveled in extra time with two goals from Julián Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez after the Swiss equalized through Dan Ndoye in the 66th minute.
Messi opens the door early
The match started with the Swiss clearly in control of the game as the Swiss dominated possession in Argentina’s half and pressed high, but lacked precision in the final pass and last shot.
However, Argentina punished Switzerland with their first real attack when Lionel Messi curled a corner from the left flank to the header of Alexis McAllister, who fired it into the top right corner to take the lead (10 minutes), a strong blow for Switzerland, who started the match better.
Switzerland continued their attempts to equalize but Djibril Sou’s shot was easily saved by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez (20th minute), while the Swiss’ chances remained limited due to a lack of technical precision in the attacking final third.
Ndoye lights the match
Switzerland took some time to make an impact after the break, before coach Murat Yakin’s men raised their level of play after an hour as Brill Embolo wasted a valuable chance with a weak header (60th minute).
Switzerland’s chances continued as Martinez blocked Dan Ndoye’s low header (65th minute) and then saved Granit Xhaka’s long-range shot (66th minute) before Switzerland finally reaped the rewards.
After a wonderful double pass between Dan Ndoye and Ricardo Rodríguez on the left, Ndoye struck a perfect ball that found the net to seal the tie (67 minutes), amid an explosion of joy from the Swiss players.
Embolo’s expulsion tipped the scales
But the Swiss joy was short-lived, as Switzerland reached 10 men just five minutes later when Brill Embolo received a second yellow card for going down (72nd minute), in a controversial incident that angered the Swiss.
Argentina tried to capitalize on their numerical advantage, but McAlister’s header went over the bar (89th minute), Messi’s shot went wide of the right post (90+2 minutes), and goalkeeper Gregor Kopel saved Lisandro Martinez’s scissors kick (90+9 minutes), sending the game into extra time.
Alvarez and Martinez decide to qualify
In extra time, Argentina pressed hard and headed into the Swiss half, where Thiago Almada fired a powerful shot from outside the penalty area into the bottom left corner (95th minute), but the referee disallowed the goal for offside.
Argentina continued their constant pressure until Julián Álvarez produced a superb volley from the left side of the box that found its way into the top right corner of the net past Kopel (113th minute) to give the reigning champions the lead they wanted.
As the Swiss pressed hard for an equalizer in the dying minutes, Lautaro Martinez pounced on a cross and headed it home for the third goal (120+1 minutes), sealing qualification and ending Switzerland’s hopes of going on.
The valuable win saw Argentina through to the semi-finals to face England next Wednesday in a thrilling clash between the reigning champions and an England side bidding for their second ever title after France and Spain qualified for the other semi-final.
