Overview
Argentina will continue their journey to defend the World Cup crown with a clash with Switzerland in the quarter-finals taking place in Kansas.
Lionel Scaloni's team entered the match with high spirits after a breathtaking comeback against Egypt. Being down 0-2 when the match was only 12 minutes left, Argentina still won 3-2 overall. They became the first team in World Cup history to come back from a 2-goal gap at such a late time during official time.
After the final whistle, Messi could not hide his emotional tears. The Argentine captain continued to make his mark when he became the first player to score in 6 consecutive World Cup knockout matches.
However, the 39-year-old superstar also set an undesirable statistic. After missing a penalty against Austria in the group stage and continuing to fail to beat Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, Messi became the first player in history to miss two penalties at the same World Cup.
With Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez in attack, Argentina continues to show formidable strength. Albiceleste has scored in 14 consecutive World Cup matches since defeating Croatia in the group stage of the 2018 World Cup.
More impressively, they scored at least 2 goals in 11 consecutive World Cup matches, equaling the achievement that Uruguay once set in the period 1930-1954.
Argentina also has an 11-match unbeaten streak at the World Cup (9 wins, 2 draws) since the defeat to Saudi Arabia in the opening match of the 2022 World Cup.
However, the defense is still a concern for Scaloni. Despite facing only nine shots on target - the second fewest among the teams in the quarter-finals - Argentina still conceded five times.
Meanwhile, Switzerland won a ticket to the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout victory against Colombia, when goalkeeper Gregor Kobel became a hero.
This is the first time since the 1954 World Cup that Switzerland has participated in this round. Defender Ricardo Rodriguez has made 31 appearances in major tournaments since the 2014 World Cup, only behind Harry Kane among European players who do not play as goalkeepers.
In midfield, Granit Xhaka is the "soul" in Switzerland's playing style. The former Arsenal midfielder has made 50 cross-line passes in one-third of the opponent's field - the most in the league. Overall, only Rodri has more cross-line passes than Xhaka.
Meanwhile, Breel Embolo is still a formidable spearhead in attack. This striker has directly participated in 13 goals in the last 17 international matches, with 11 goals and two assists.
Head-to-head record
History is not on Switzerland's side before the confrontation with Argentina.
The European team has never defeated Argentina after seven encounters in all competitions, with a record of two draws and five losses. Historically, Switzerland only has a worse head-to-head record against Russia (including the Soviet Union), when they have not won in 12 encounters.
Argentina also won all two matches against Switzerland at the World Cup. Albiceleste won 2-0 in the group stage in 1966, before overcoming the European representative 1-0 after extra time in the round of 16 of the 2014 World Cup. That was also the last time the two teams met.
Score prediction: Argentina 1-0 Switzerland
The match between Argentina and Switzerland takes place at 8:00 AM on July 12 (Vietnam time).
