Álvarez's extra-time strike sends Argentina past Switzerland and into England semi-final

Julián Álvarez fired Argentina into the 2026 World Cup semi-finals with a stunning strike in the 112th minute, as the reigning champions overcame a stubborn Switzerland side 3-1 after extra time at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Alvarez opened the scoring with a header from Lionel Messi’s corner in the 10th minute, but Switzerland refused to fold. Murat Yakin’s side grew into the match in the second half, pinning Argentina back and earning a deserved equaliser through Dan Ndoye. The contest appeared finely balanced until Breel Embolo was sent off for simulation shortly after his side’s leveller — a moment Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni openly acknowledged as pivotal.

“Today we had luck on our side because one of their players was sent off,” Scaloni admitted. “We could have played better but it’s a big achievement to be in the semi-finals.”

Even reduced to ten men, Switzerland held firm and forced the game into extra time, compelling Scaloni to ring the changes. Thiago Almada, Nicolás Otamendi, and José Manuel ‘Flaco’ López were all introduced in the final half-hour, but it was Álvarez who ultimately unlocked the Swiss defence, launching a missile into the top-right corner in the 112th minute. Lautaro Martínez added a third in the closing seconds to confirm Argentina’s sixth win from six at this tournament.

“We fought until the end and left it all out on the pitch,” said Álvarez. “Obviously you have to suffer — you have to know how to suffer. That’s how the matches are playing out right now.”

The victory sets up a semi-final against England, a fixture that carries extraordinary historical weight. The rivalry stretches back to a 1966 quarter-final Argentines still call the ‘Robo del Siglo’ — the Robbery of the Century — and runs through Diego Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ in 1986, David Beckham’s red card in 1998, and his subsequent redemption in 2002, all against a backdrop shaped in part by the 1982 Falklands War.

“Inside and outside the four lines, it’s an encounter that has a lot of history — a lot of pain and other things behind it,” said one of Argentina’s extra-time substitutes, reflecting a sentiment shared across both camps.

England arrive in the semi-final chasing their first major trophy since lifting the World Cup on home soil in 1966. For Argentina, another chapter in one of football’s most charged international rivalries awaits.