Julian Alvarez scored a long-range strike in the 112th minute to send defending champion Argentina into the World Cup semifinals with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland on Saturday night in Kansas City, Mo. Lautaro Martinez added a goal with seconds left in extra time, making the win look easier than it was.
Key goals and match progression
Alexis Mac Allister also scored off a corner kick from Lionel Messi, helping Argentina grind out another tense thriller. The win sets up a semifinal clash with England on Wednesday in Atlanta. England had earlier beaten Norway 2-1.
Messi’s nine-game World Cup scoring streak ended, but his pursuit of a second World Cup title continues.
Controversial red card changes the game
The match turned in the second half on a controversial call. Switzerland had just equalized through Dan Ndoye in the 67th minute when Leandro Paredes received a yellow card for a tackle on Breel Embolo. However, video replays showed Embolo falling before contact, and since Embolo had already been booked earlier, he was sent off via the “mistaken identity” protocol. This allowed the video assistant referee to overturn the card when the wrong player was penalized. It was the second such incident at the World Cup.
Switzerland was left to defend with 10 players, and Argentina capitalized in extra time.
