Argentina beat Switzerland to set up World Cup 2026 semifinal with England

Argentina's defending champions secured their place in the World Cup 2026 semifinals with a hard-fought victory over Switzerland at Kansas City Stadium on Saturday. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring in the tenth minute, heading in a cross from Lionel Messi to give the South Americans an early advantage. However, Argentina's performance fell short of expectations, and Switzerland equalized in the 67th minute when Dan Ndoye finished from close range. The match took a controversial turn in the 72nd minute when Swiss player Breel Embolo received a second yellow card for simulation. A new VAR protocol for the tournament required the referee to review a separate incident involving Argentina's Leandro Paredes, ultimately resulting in Embolo's dismissal after the Portuguese referee Joao Pinheiro changed his initial decision. Argentina pressed for a winner in regular time but could not find the breakthrough, with Lionel Messi coming close on one occasion when his chip was saved, though replays suggested the effort may have crossed the line before being flagged offside. The decisive moment came in the 112th minute when Julian Alvarez struck a powerful effort from 25 yards that found the top right corner of the goal. As Switzerland committed players forward in the closing stages, Argentina exploited the space on the counter-attack, with Lautaro Martinez adding a third goal deep into stoppage time following a move initiated by Thiago Almada. Argentina will now meet England in the semifinal on Wednesday in Atlanta, while Spain and France contest the other last-four matchup on Tuesday. The tournament's demanding schedule, which has already required Argentina to play extra time against Cape Verde in the round of 32, may influence the outcome, though England similarly needed extra time to overcome Norway. At 39 years old, Messi continues to demonstrate his capability to produce decisive moments in major tournaments.