Argentina needed Julian Alvarez's flash in extra time to defeat Switzerland 3-1 and win a ticket to the World Cup 2026 semi-finals. However, behind that victory were questions about the dependence on Lionel Messi and unresolved defensive issues.
Messi silent, Argentina still finds hero
Messi's 9-match consecutive scoring streak at the World Cup stopped in front of Switzerland's tight defense. The 39-year-old superstar only launched one shot during official playing time and three shots in the whole match.
However, Messi still left his mark with an assist for Mac Allister to open the score, and created six chances for his teammates. When El Pulga had no space to shine as usual, Argentina found a replacement with a beautiful shot from Alvarez.
This is also a positive sign for coach Lionel Scaloni, because Argentina shows that they can still win even if Messi does not score.
The truth is that today, we did not perform well and encountered difficulties. This team has achieved a historic achievement, even though we could have performed better. Victory always makes things better, but we still need to look back at ourselves" - Scaloni said after the match.
Embolo's red card completely changed the situation
Before Embolo was sent off, Switzerland was the team that controlled the game. They held the ball 54%, continuously put pressure and just found an equalizer.
However, the red card after Embolo's dive reversed everything. In the remaining time, Argentina controlled the ball up to 76%, creating 1.61 expected goals (xG), while Switzerland only achieved 0.03 xG.
Losing a player made Murat Yakin's team no longer strong enough to resist the increasing pressure from the defending champion.
Argentina's defense still gives Scaloni a headache
Despite winning a ticket to the semi-finals, Argentina continues to reveal problems in defense. This is the third consecutive match they have conceded and totaled 5 goals conceded in the last 3 matches.
Lisandro Martinez admitted that the team needed to improve their concentration after Dan Ndoye easily exploited the space to score the equalizer.
Facing England in the semi-finals will be a completely different challenge. If they do not overcome the mistakes in the defense, Argentina can hardly continue to rely on Messi's genius moments or late goals to overcome the opponent.
Meanwhile, Switzerland may leave the tournament with their heads held high. Murat Yakin's team only really collapsed after having to play with one less player.
We had a great match. The players fought their best and caused a lot of difficulties for Argentina. But after the red card, everything changed. Playing with 10 men against such an opponent is extremely difficult" - the Swiss captain shared.
