Argentina notches 2 goals in extra time to punch ticket to semi-finals

With their 3-1 win over Switzerland on Saturday, Argentina has punched their ticket to the semi-finals against England.

First Half

Argentina would get the scoring started early when Alexis Mac Allister headed home a corner from Lionel Messi in the 10th minute.

Argentina looked to nurse their lead, but Switzerland would see a huge opportunity to in the 31st minute.

Breel Embolo looked to take a through ball right onto goal, but Emiliano Martínez broke up the chance before Embolo could do any damage.

Argentina would take their one goal advantage into the half, needing just 45 more scoreless minutes to advance to the semi-finals.

Second Half

The second half would see the Swiss turn the pressure up, looking to take advantage of an Argentine team looking to take their one goal lead to the full-time whistle.

And the pressure would pay off in the 67th minute.

Dan Ndoye would cut his way through the Argentine defense, slotting his strike past Martínez and drawing the match level.

But minutes later, Swiss hearts would drop following a VAR review.

Leandro Paredes would originally be given a yellow card following his tackle on Embolo.

But after the review, the yellow card would be given to Embolo instead for simulation, sending the Swiss forward off on yellow card accumulation.

In the 90+9th minute, Gregor Kobel would be forced to make a save to keep Switzerland’s hopes of a semi-final appearance alive.

At the full-time whistle, both sides would remain even at one, forcing the match into extra time.

Extra Time

Early in extra time Thiago Almada looked to put Argentina head with a strike from outside the box.

But his shot would miss just wide left, rippling off the side netting.

In the 112th minute, following several chances for Argentina, Julián Álvarez would deliver a sensational goal.

Cutting back towards the box, Álvarez would elevate a strike into the top right corner to finally put Argentina ahead once again.

And Argentina would all but seal the match with a goal in the 120+1st minute courtesy of Lautaro Martínez.

Argentina will face off against England at 3 p.m. on Wednesday for a chance at their second straight World Cup final

Follow Adrian Murillo Silva on Instagram @adrianms_official

About the Author Published Jul 11, 2026

ADRIAN MURILLO SILVA

Adrian Murillo Silva covers both MLB and soccer news for Ball Exclusives. He has previously worked with other news publications such as The Lantern, the independent student voice of Ohio State.