Defending champions Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 after extra time to book their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semifinals on Saturday.Julian Alvarez broke the deadlock in the 112th minute with a superb long-range strike before Lautaro Martinez added a third goal in the final moments of extra time.Argentina will now face England in the semifinals on Wednesday after the Three Lions beat Norway 2-1 earlier in the day.
Mac Allister gives Argentina early lead
Argentina made a bright start and took the lead in the 10th minute.Lionel Messi delivered a corner from the left, and Alexis Mac Allister found the net to put the defending champions ahead.Messi did not score in the match, ending his nine-game World Cup scoring streak, but he still played a key role in Argentina’s victory.
Switzerland fight back before red card
Switzerland refused to give up and equalised in the 67th minute through Dan Ndoye.However, the match changed dramatically a few minutes later.Leandro Paredes was initially shown a yellow card for a challenge on Breel Embolo. After a VAR review, officials ruled that Embolo had gone down before any contact was made.Since Embolo had already been booked earlier in the game, the yellow card was transferred to him under FIFA’s “mistaken identity” protocol. It became his second booking, and Switzerland were reduced to 10 men.It was only the second time in World Cup history that the “mistaken identity” rule had been used to overturn a yellow-card decision.
Argentina make extra man count
Despite having a numerical advantage, Argentina had to wait until extra time to find the breakthrough.Julian Alvarez finally put his side back in front with a brilliant strike from distance in the 112th minute.With Switzerland pushing for another equaliser, Lautaro Martinez scored deep into extra time to seal a 3-1 victory.
Argentina continue unbeaten run
Argentina have now extended their unbeaten run at the FIFA World Cup to 12 matches.The reigning champions have had to work hard in the knockout stages, needing extra time to beat Cape Verde before coming from two goals down against Egypt in the Round of 16.Against Switzerland, they once again found a way to win and keep alive their dream of retaining the World Cup.The victory also means the top four teams in the FIFA rankings – Argentina, England, France and Spain – have all reached the semifinals.