Argentina survive again to book England semifinal
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- Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 in extra time to reach the World Cup semifinals, with Julián Álvarez scoring a decisive goal and Lautaro Martínez adding another in the final seconds of extra time.
- Lionel Messi extended his World Cup legacy despite ending a nine-game scoring streak, providing a corner assist for Alexis Mac Allister’s goal and creating late chances before the breakthrough.
- Breel Embolo was shown a red card after a VAR review overturned Leandro Paredes’ yellow for a tackle, ruling that Embolo dove before contact — triggering the 'mistaken identity' protocol and leaving Switzerland with 10 players.
- Switzerland failed to reach their first World Cup semifinal since 1954, despite tying the match through Dan Ndoye in the 67th minute and maintaining possession early.
- Argentina extended their unbeaten World Cup run to 12 matches, surviving a defensive scare and relying on late-game resilience after narrowly overcoming Cape Verde and Egypt in prior knockout rounds.
- The FIFA World Cup features the top four ranked teams in the semifinals for the first time since rankings began in 1992, with Argentina, England, France, and Spain advancing.
Why it matters: Argentina’s progression maintains their title defense under pressure, exposing vulnerabilities in their defense and reliance on late surges — a pattern that could challenge them against England, who have shown sharper knockout form. The Embolo red card decision also spotlights the growing influence of VAR’s 'mistaken identity' rule in pivotal moments.
