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Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 in extra time this Saturday and advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup, in a quarterfinal match held at the that required 120 minutes to be decided.
The Albiceleste opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a goal from Alexis Mac Allister, but Switzerland equalized in the 67th minute thanks to Dan Ndoye, taking the match into extra time with a score of 1-1.
The moment that changed the match came in the 72nd minute: Breel Embolo received his second yellow card —for simulation of a foul against Leandro Paredes, confirmed after a VAR review— and was sent off, leaving the Swiss team with ten men for the entire extra time.
With that numerical advantage, Argentina took control of the game and secured their qualification in the final minutes of extra time: Julián Álvarez scored to make it 2-1 in the 112th minute, and Lautaro Martínez sealed it with a 3-1 goal in the last minute of extra time, the 120th.
The statistics reflected Argentina's dominance throughout the match: 59% possession compared to Switzerland's 41%, 19 total shots against 11 from the Europeans, and seven corners to two. Both teams were equal in shots on target, with five each.
Regarding the cards, Argentina received three yellow cards —Almada in the 97th minute, Lautaro Martínez in the 98th, and J. López in the 114th— while Switzerland accumulated two yellow cards and the definitive red card for Embolo.
With this result, the Albiceleste —defending world champion since Qatar 2022— advances to the semifinals, where they will face England on Wednesday, July 15 in Atlanta.
The English secured their spot this Saturday by defeating Norway 2-1 with a double from Jude Bellingham.
Lionel Messi, at 39 years old, has thus reached another World Cup semifinal in what could be his last tournament at this level. The Argentine star leads the tournament's Golden Boot race with 8 goals and is the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 18 goals, a record he set in this edition by surpassing Miroslav Klose's 16 goals.
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