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Álvarez's Extra-Time Stunner Sends Argentina Past Switzerland and Into World Cup Semifinals

Sunday, July 12, 2026

Julián Álvarez curled home a stunning 25-yard strike in the 112th minute to break a deadlock and send defending champions Argentina past Switzerland 3-1 after extra time, setting up a semifinal meeting with England in Atlanta.

Argentina got off to the perfect start in front of 69,045 fans at Arrowhead Stadium, going ahead just 10 minutes in when Alexis Mac Allister headed home a corner delivered by Lionel Messi. It was Messi's ninth assist of the tournament, but for long stretches after that, Argentina struggled to build on the lead. The reigning champions went nearly the rest of regulation without another shot on target, and Switzerland, playing their first World Cup quarterfinal since 1954, gradually worked their way into the match.

Switzerland were rewarded for their persistence in the 67th minute, when Ricardo Rodríguez slipped a pass to Dan Ndoye, who cut in from the left and finished neatly through the legs of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez to make it 1-1.

The game turned dramatically just a few minutes later. Leandro Paredes appeared to be shown a yellow card for a foul on Breel Embolo, but a video review found that Embolo had gone down before any contact was made. Because Embolo had already picked up an earlier yellow card, the referee overturned Paredes' booking under the "mistaken identity" protocol and sent Embolo off instead, leaving Switzerland to play the rest of the match with 10 men.

Argentina pushed for a winner for the remainder of regulation but couldn't find it, with Mac Allister heading wide and Messi seeing a late chance narrowly miss the target in stoppage time, sending the match to extra time still level at 1-1. Switzerland defended bravely and even had a couple of half-chances of their own, forcing saves from Martínez, but Argentina's extra man eventually told. Álvarez broke the deadlock with his long-range effort in the 112th minute, and Lautaro Martínez added a third in the closing seconds to make the final score 3-1.

By the Numbers

Argentina controlled the game throughout, finishing with roughly 59 percent possession and outshooting Switzerland by a wide margin, 23 attempts to 13, with seven shots on target to Switzerland's five. They also held a heavy edge in corners, winning that battle 8-2, a clear sign of how much time they spent camped in Switzerland's half. Argentina completed well over 600 passes at close to 90 percent accuracy, compared with just over 450 passes for Switzerland.

Switzerland, for their part, fouled more often than Argentina, a reflection of how much defending they had to do, and stayed competitive in shots on target despite playing a man down for a large chunk of the match. But with the extra man advantage and the greater share of the ball, Argentina's pressure eventually broke through in extra time.

What it Means

The win extends Argentina's unbeaten World Cup run and keeps their bid for back-to-back titles alive. It's the first time in the tournament's history that the top four ranked national teams have all reached the semifinals, with Argentina now set to face England, who beat Norway earlier the same day, in Atlanta on Wednesday. 

For Switzerland, the loss continues a difficult run at major tournaments, having now lost every one of their last several quarterfinal appearances across major competitions, and they remain without a World Cup semifinal in their history.

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