Argentina Defeated Switzerland 3-1 in Extra Time to Face England in the Semi-Finals

In the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final, Argentina secured their semi-final ticket by emerging victorious with a 3-1 scoreline in a breathtaking match against Switzerland. While the regular time of the match ended in a 1-1 draw with mutual goals from both sides, the real separation occurred in extra time. In this fiercely contested match played at Arrowhead Stadium, Argentina managed to gain the upper hand over their opponent with the goals they scored in the extra time period. Although Switzerland's equalizer in the second half gave the team a huge morale boost, the extra time period, which they played with a player disadvantage, turned out to be a disappointment for them. The South Americans, on the other hand, continued their strong march in the tournament decisively with this result.

Argentina, who took control of the game in the first half of the match, turned the score in their favor with a goal scored by Alexis Mac Allister in the 10th minute. Lionel Messi, who made a brilliant assist in the build-up to this goal, signed a historic achievement by taking the number of assists in his World Cup career into double digits. Argentina, the side that went to the dressing room leading in the first half, also displayed a stable performance defensively. However, in the second half of the match, Switzerland made a serious organizational change on the pitch and increased the pressure on the Argentine goal. Switzerland, who got the reward for this pressure with a goal from Dan Ndoye's foot in the 67th minute, brought balance to the score and took the struggle to an equal level.

One of the breaking moments and fate-drawing events of the match occurred in the 72nd minute. Breel Embolo, one of Switzerland's important players, received his second yellow card on the grounds of an act aimed at deceiving the referee and was sent off. Switzerland, who had to fight with 10 players on the pitch for the remaining time, fell into a serious disadvantageous position in the course of the game. The European team, which maintained its defensive resistance and kept the draw despite this disadvantage during regular time, showed signs of exhaustion in extra time. Argentina, on the other hand, utilized their numerical superiority very well on the pitch, creating constant pressure on the opponent's goal and organizing consecutive attacks.

Argentina, who increased their dynamo and offensive power even more in the extra time period of the struggle, managed to take the lead once again with a tremendous strike by Julian Alvarez in the 112th minute. Following this goal, the deteriorated and weakened Swiss defense suffered another blow in the final moments of the match. Lautaro Martinez, who stepped up in the 120+1st minute, hit the back of the net to bring the score to 3-1 and had the final say in the struggle. These goals provided Argentina with a critical psychological advantage on the road to the final, which is their goal in the tournament. The impact of the team's deep squad and the players coming off the bench stood out as the determining factor in this tough and long match.

Following this quarter-final victory, Argentina faced England, another giant of world football, in the semi-final. This massive encounter, which the football world awaits with great anticipation, will be played at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday, July 15 at 22.00. On the other hand, Lionel Messi, who could not score a goal in the Switzerland match but made one of the most critical assists of the game, once again failed to produce a score after a 9-match goal drought in the World Cup. Despite this, Messi, who signed an unforgettable record by becoming the first player to surpass the 10-assist barrier in World Cup history, solidified his position at the very front of the goalscoring race, alongside Kylian Mbappe, with the 8 goals he scored in 6 matches in the tournament.