Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez struck in extra time as Argentina overcame a resilient, 10-man Switzerland 3-1 at Kansas City Stadium on Saturday night, securing a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ semi-finals.
The victory sets up a highly anticipated semi-final clash against fierce rivals England at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday.
Argentina opened the scoring early in the 10th minute when Alexis Mac Allister met a Lionel Messi corner, firmly heading the ball past Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. The goal marked the first time Switzerland had trailed in 17 hours and 10 minutes of competitive play, spanning both the qualifying rounds and the tournament finals.
Switzerland grew into the match and found their equalizer in the 67th minute through Dan Ndoye, who slotted home after having previous attempts denied by desperate Argentinian defending and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
The momentum swung back to the reigning world champions in the 72nd minute when Swiss forward Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card for simulation, leaving Switzerland to play out the remainder of the match with 10 men.
Despite the numerical advantage, Argentina was forced into extra time. The deadlock was finally broken in the 112th minute when Alvarez curled a breathtaking strike into the net. Lautaro Martinez sealed the historic victory with a third goal in stoppage time of extra time (120+1′).
With the win, Argentina achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first team in World Cup history to score two extra-time goals in multiple matches during a single tournament.
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