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Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates victory after the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
Title holders Argentina have made it to the World Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 win after extra time against 10-man Switzerland on Saturday.
Alexis Mac Allister gave Argentina an early lead in the 10th minute, but Dan Ndoye equalized for Switzerland in the 67th.
The Swiss team, however, were in trouble again when Breel Embolo was sent off in the 72nd. Leandro Paredes was initially penalized for a foul on Embolo, but after video review, the decision was overturned.
Embolo was booked instead for simulation, receiving his second yellow card.
The Swiss team resisted to take the match to extra time, with goalkeeper Gregor Kobel making crucial saves to keep their hopes alive.
But there was nothing Kobel could do to stop Julian Alvarez's sensational shot from the edge of the box in the 112th. Lautaro Martinez then completed a counterattack and sealed the win in stoppage time.
"We were much better, but in the end, that doesn't help us," Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said.
In the semi-finals, Argentina will face England, who also needed extra time to defeat Norway 2-1 earlier.
"The truth is we suffered today. We knew they were a very physical team. I think they put us in a lot of difficulty. We weren't able to get out of certain situations," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.
"The truth is that luck was on our side today, because they had a player sent off and, from there, the team went on the attack. We have to be realistic, we have things to improve on, but winning is always better."
The match
Mac Allister rose highest in the box and flicked Lionel Messi's corner into the goal to give Argentina the lead in the 10th minute.
But his goal was one of just three shots for the defending champions in the first half as none of the teams managed an attempt for the next 35 minutes before the break.
The match, however, became lively again in the 67th when Switzerland levelled.
Ndoye played a one-two with Ricardo Rodriguez before finding space to get inside the box and fire the ball into the net from a tight angle.
But a proper fight for a comeback wasn't possible because Switzerland went down to 10 men just five minutes later as Embolo received a second yellow card for simulation.
Kobel made a few strong saves to deny Argentina a winner, the most notable one in the eighth minute of stoppage time, diving to his left to palm away Lautaro Martinez's stunning bicycle kick.
Switzerland managed to force extra time and Argentinian fans celebrated Thiago Almada's effort in the 96th, but his shot hit the side-netting.
Kobel made a strong save to deny Messi in the 112th, but the ball was recycled and played to Alvarez, who fired an unstoppable strike from distance.
And in a similar situation, Lautaro Martinez sealed the deal. Thiago Almada's shot was saved by Kobel, but Martinez tapped in on the rebound, past Granit Xhaka defending on the line.
"Winning like this is a huge boost. We'd prefer to win in other ways, but the important thing is to keep moving forward," Alvarez said after the match.
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Argentina's Lautaro Martinez celebrates scoring his side's third goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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Argentina's players celebrate their side's third goal scored by Lautaro Martinez during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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Argentina's Julian Alvarez celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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Switzerland's and Silvan Widmer and Argentina's Nicolas Gonzalez (L) battle for a header during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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Switzerland's Dan Ndoye celebrates scoring his side's first goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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Referee Joao Pinheiro shows Switzerland's Breel Embolo the red card during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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Switzerland's Dan Ndoye socres his side's first goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final soccer match between Argentina and Switzerland at Kansas City stadium. Tom Weller/dpa
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