Argentina clinched a World Cup semifinal spot on Saturday by beating Switzerland 3-1 in extra time at Kansas City, with second-half stoppage goals from Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez overturning a Swiss equaliser and settling a tense quarter-final.

The Albiceleste had opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes through Alexis Mac Allister, but Switzerland clawed their way back when Dan Ndoye found the net in the 67th minute, levelling the contest and forcing the match beyond regulation time. Álvarez restored Argentina’s advantage in the 112th minute, before Martínez added a third deep into stoppage time at 120+1 to seal the result.

Next up for manager Lionel Scaloni’s side is a semifinal meeting with England, scheduled for Wednesday in Atlanta.

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Speaking after the final whistle in Kansas City, Scaloni described the victory as “a historic match” but struck a cautious note about his team’s overall performance. The head coach acknowledged that Switzerland’s physical approach pushed his players to their limits, admitting: “Today we suffered. We knew they were a very physical team.” He also stressed the need for continued improvement, saying: “We have to be realistic, we have things to improve on, but it’s better to do so while winning.”

When asked about the upcoming England clash, Scaloni played down any distinction between potential opponents, adding that facing the English would be no different than facing Norway, in his view, because both “are very difficult” and will pose serious challenges for his squad.

Key player Lionel Messi, for his part, voiced his satisfaction with the hard-fought outcome. “I feel great happiness for the win, a very hard-fought win,” he said at the end of the match. The Swiss resilience did not catch him off guard, as he noted: “We knew it was going to be a very intense match.”

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