Argentina end Swiss dream to complete World Cup semi-finals
Shafaq News- Kansas City
Argentina completed the 2026 World Cup semifinal lineup with a 3-1 extra-time victory over ten-man Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium.
Julian Alvarez broke the deadlock with a spectacular 112th-minute strike before Lautaro Martinez added a third in stoppage time, ending Switzerland’s historic run and setting up a semifinal against England.
Argentina opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Alexis Mac Allister met Lionel Messi’s corner with a near-post header beyond Gregor Kobel.
Switzerland recovered from the early setback and equalized through Dan Ndoye in the 67th minute after a quick exchange with Ricardo Rodriguez.
Their momentum lasted only five minutes. Breel Embolo received a second yellow card after a VAR review determined that he had simulated contact with Leandro Paredes, leaving Switzerland with ten men for the remainder of the contest.
Switzerland dropped into a compact defensive shape and resisted sustained Argentine pressure through the end of regulation time and the opening period of extra time.
The resistance finally broke in the 112th minute. Jose Manuel Lopez, introduced two minutes earlier, found Alvarez near the left edge of the penalty area, and the forward curled a right-footed shot into the top corner for his first goal of the tournament.
Lautaro Martinez then sealed the result in added time at the end of extra time, finishing Argentina’s final attack to make it 3-1 and end Switzerland’s first World Cup quarterfinal appearance since 1954.
