KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Julian Alvarez sent defending champion Argentina back into the game. world cup semifinal A long-range shot in the 112th minute against Switzerland, but Lautaro Martinez’s follow-up goal with seconds left in extra time only made the 3-1 victory look much easier than it had been on Saturday night.
Alexis Mac Allister also scored from a Lionel Messi corner kick to help La Albiceleste overcome another tense thriller and advance to Wednesday’s game against England in Atlanta. Three Lions beat Norway 2-1 earlier in the day.
Messi’s World Cup scoring streak ended at nine games, but his quest for a second World Cup title continues. Argentina and England join france and spain This is the first time that the top four teams in the FIFA rankings all made it this far in the semi-finals.
It was a call that was sure to infuriate pundits who believed Argentina was favored by officials in this tournament, and the match took a big turn in the second half.
Switzerland had just equalized with Dan Ndoye’s goal in the 67th minute when Leandro Paredes was shown a yellow card for a tackle on Briel Embolo. However, video showed the Swiss player falling before the Argentina midfielder made contact, and Embolo received a yellow card early in the match. he was sent off Switzerland was forced to defend with 10 players.
This is the second time in a World Cup that a yellow card has been revoked using the “mismatch of status” protocol. The rule allows video assistant referees to intervene if the wrong player is shown a yellow or red card.
Argentina, who have a 12-game unbeaten record in the World Cup, looked very likely to win in the final tournament. Lionel Scaloni’s team needed extra time to easily cruise past tiny Cape Verde before fighting back from a 2-0 deficit in the final 11 minutes of regulation to defeat Egypt and earn the right to play Switzerland on the Kansas City Chiefs’ home field.
Meanwhile, Switzerland was playing their first World Cup quarterfinal since 1954. Switzerland has not yet reached the semi-finals and has never beaten Argentina in eight matches, three of which are the most important of the competition.
The Argentina international made his home in Kansas City last month, winning over thousands of new fans while training at the home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City. And on Saturday night, they packed Arrowhead Stadium for the second time this tournament in hopes of seeing Messi create more postgame magic. Hat trick against Algeria In the same building a few weeks ago.
It was extremely hot and humid during the day, but as the sun set, the temperature began to drop, creating a beautiful environment for the 100th match of the expanded World Cup and the final quarter-final match.
Defensively-minded Switzerland conceded just three goals in five games, but dominated the ball from the start. But leave it to Messi, whose eight goals in the tournament are tied with France’s Kylian Mbappé for the most, to shock the pro-Argentine crowd, including Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
His nifty footwork helped him win an early corner kick before sending the ball through for Mac Allister to take a 1-0 lead.
For much of the game, Switzerland struggled to break down Argentina’s backline, which had conceded two goals in each of its previous two games. And playing without Johan Manzabi, one of the team’s best goalscorers, did not help the team’s cause. Manzabi missed the Round of 16 penalty shootout win over Colombia before being sidelined with a knee injury.
However, after being forced into several tough saves by Argentine goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the second half, the Swiss team broke through as Ricardo Rodriguez slipped a clean pass to Ndoye who easily found the back of the net.
Whatever momentum the equalizer brought, the Swiss disappeared minutes later with a red card for Embolo.
Argentina increased the pressure in the 89th minute when Mac Allister’s header missed the target, and Messi created a chance in front of the goal, but it was narrowly missed in the second minute of stoppage time, sending the match into extra time with the score tied.
Just as they have won every tournament, La Albiceleste found a way to continue their quest for back-to-back titles.
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