Defending champion Argentina secured their place in the World Cup semifinals on Saturday night after a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Switzerland in Kansas City, Missouri. The match remained intense until the final minutes, when a long-range strike from Julian Alvarez in the 112th minute effectively broke the deadlock, followed by an additional goal from Lautaro Martinez in the closing moments of extra time to seal the result.
Alexis Mac Allister also contributed to Argentina's score, netting a goal off a corner kick delivered by Lionel Messi. While Messi’s nine-game scoring streak in the tournament concluded with this match, his campaign for a second World Cup title remains alive. Argentina is now set to face England in the semifinals on Wednesday in Atlanta; the English team earned their spot by defeating Norway 2-1 earlier on Saturday.
The match was defined by a pivotal second-half controversy that is likely to fuel debates regarding officiating bias. After Dan Ndoye leveled the score for Switzerland in the 67th minute, Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes received a yellow card for a tackle on Breel Embolo. However, video evidence revealed that the Swiss player had fallen before any contact was made. Because Embolo had already been issued a yellow card earlier in the game, the correction resulted in him being sent off, forcing Switzerland to finish the match with only 10 players.
This incident marked the second time during the tournament that the "mistaken identity" protocol was utilized to overturn a yellow card. The rule allows the video assistant referee to intervene when an official erroneously assigns a yellow or red card to the wrong player.
Argentina's Alexis Mac Allister, center, celebrates scoring their first goal with Lionel Messi during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, July 11, 2026. Abbie Parr/AP hide caption
