Argentina beat Switzerland to reach England World Cup semi-finals

Argentina set up a mouth-watering FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final against England after a 3-1 extra-time victory over 10-man Switzerland in a dramatic quarter-final on Sunday.

Lionel Scaloni’s side had to dig deep to overcome a dogged Swiss side at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, but Julian Alvarez’s stunning strike in extra time and Lautaro Martinez’s late clincher finally broke the deadlock.

Argentina got off to the perfect start as Alexis Mac Allister headed in from a corner in the 10th minute after being picked out by Lionel Messi. Messi’s World Cup tally now stands at 10 throughout six editions of the event.

But Switzerland refused to lie down and got their deserved equaliser in the 67th minute when Dan Ndoye sprinted home after some superb work by Ricardo Rodriguez.

Five minutes later the tide turned again when Swiss attacker Breel Embolo was sent a second yellow card for simulation after a VAR review, leaving Murat Yakin’s side playing the rest of the clash with 10 men.

But Argentina had the numbers, Switzerland defended wonderfully and it was impossible for Argentina to break through in normal time.

But the holders won the winner in the 112th minute when Alvarez scored a beautiful strike into the top corner from outside the box to send thousands of Argentine supporters into jubilation.

Martinez grabbed a third in the final moments of extra time to ensure Argentina’s ticket into the last four.

Argentina extended their unbeaten run in the FIFA World Cup to 12 games and kept alive their quest to be the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup crown.