Alvarez wonderstrike sends Argentina past Switzerland to set up England semi-final

Julian Alvarez’s thunderous long-range effort in extra time sent Argentina through to the World Cup semi-finals with a 3-1 victory over Switzerland in Kansas, setting up one of football’s most storied rivalries when they face England in Atalanta on Wednesday, July 15.

Alexis Mac Allister had given the holders a half-time lead, only for Dan Ndoye to equalise for Switzerland. The match turned on a VAR intervention that resulted in Breel Embolo being sent off, yet the ten-man Swiss still forced extra time and held firm for the opening 20 minutes before Alvarez settled the tie with a strike from distance that flew into the top corner. Lautaro Martinez added a third in added time to confirm the scoreline.

England, who earlier came from behind to beat Norway thanks to a Jude Bellingham brace, were left waiting to discover their semi-final opponents. Thomas Tuchel was candid in his assessment of his side’s performance after that win, acknowledging they have not yet hit top gear at this tournament.

Argentina have similarly been grinding out results rather than dazzling. Lionel Messi’s side needed extra time to see off Cape Verde and mounted a remarkable comeback against Egypt in the last 16, overturning a 2-0 deficit with 15 minutes remaining.

The two nations carry considerable history into Wednesday’s meeting. Their last competitive encounter came at the 2002 World Cup, when David Beckham converted a penalty to eliminate Argentina — a moment of personal redemption after his infamous red card against the same opponents in Saint-Étienne four years earlier had made him a target of widespread criticism back home. Argentina won that 1998 tie on penalties. And the 1986 quarter-final, in which Diego Maradona scored both the ‘Hand of God’ goal and what is widely regarded as the greatest individual goal ever scored, remains one of the most discussed matches in the sport’s history.

The winner of Wednesday’s semi-final will face either Spain or France, who meet in Tuesday’s other last-four clash. Should France advance, a repeat of the 2022 Qatar final — which Argentina won on penalties — would be possible, which would mark only the second time two nations have contested successive World Cup finals.