By Francis Onyach - Reporter
United States, 12 July 2026 - Argentina produced another display of resilience to overcome a spirited Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in a gripping FIFA World Cup quarter-final at Kansas City Stadium, securing a place in the semi-finals where they will face England. The reigning world champions were pushed to their limits by a determined Swiss side before two late extra-time goals finally settled the contest.
Lionel Scaloni's men made the ideal start, taking the lead after just 10 minutes. Lionel Messi's corner found Alexis Mac Allister, who rose highest in the penalty area to power a header beyond Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and give Argentina an early advantage. The goal rewarded Argentina's bright opening spell, although Switzerland gradually grew into the match with Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler taking control of midfield.
The Swiss found their breakthrough in the 67th minute when Dan Ndoye finished confidently to level the score at 1-1, silencing the Argentine supporters and setting up a tense finale. Just five minutes later, the momentum shifted dramatically. Breel Embolo, who had already been booked, received a second yellow card after VAR overturned a mistaken booking given to Argentina's Leandro Paredes, reducing Switzerland to 10 men. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Murat Yakin's side defended heroically and frustrated Argentina throughout the remainder of normal time.
Extra time saw Argentina pile on the pressure, but Kobel produced several important saves to keep the scores level. Messi came agonizingly close to restoring the lead when his powerful effort was pushed away by the Swiss goalkeeper. Moments later, Julián Álvarez produced the decisive moment of quality in the 112th minute, unleashing a stunning long-range strike into the top corner after being set up by José Manuel López.
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With Switzerland forced to chase the game, Argentina struck again in stoppage time of extra time. Lautaro Martínez finished off a swift counterattack to make it 3-1 and seal the defending champions' passage into the last four. The victory extended Argentina's unbeaten World Cup run to 12 matches and kept alive their dream of retaining the trophy.
Argentina will now prepare for a mouth-watering semi-final clash against England on July 15, while Switzerland depart the tournament with plenty of pride after matching the world champions for much of the contest and producing their best World Cup campaign in more than seven decades.