By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-07-18 17:28:13 | Updated at 2026-08-02 23:35:31
3 weeks ago
Argentina booked their spot in the semi-finals of the World Cup after getting the better of Switzerland, who had Breel Embolo sent off.
Argentina will play England for a spot in the World Cup final after Julián Alvarez and Lautaro Martínez‘s extra-time goals earned a 3-1 win over 10-man Switzerland.
Alexis Mac Allister had given Argentina an early lead before Dan Ndoye hauled his team level just before the hour, only for Switzerland to see Breel Embolo sent off for simulation.
Switzerland defended stoutly to force extra-time, and just when penalties were looming, Alvarez and Martínez struck twice in nine minutes to send Argentina into the semi-finals.
Having flicked a headed effort just wide moments earlier, Mac Allister put Argentina in front in the 10th minute when he glanced Lionel Messi‘s teasing corner from the left-hand side past Gregor Kobel and into the bottom-right corner.
It was the first time Switzerland had gone behind in this World Cup cycle, including both qualifiers and at the tournament, and they quickly tried to get themselves level, but Djibril Sow saw his shot from distance gathered by Emiliano Martínez.
Switzerland began the second half brightly but were unable to find a way past Martínez, with Embolo and Ndoye seeing their headed attempts pushed to safety before Granit Xhaka‘s left-footed drive was collected at the second attempt.
But Switzerland’s persistence prevailed in the 67th minute when Ndoye combined with Ricardo Rodríguez down the left and placed the ball under the legs of Martínez, though their joy quickly turned to despair five minutes later.
Having already been booked in the first half for a foul on Leandro Paredes just before the break, Embolo was sent off for simulation after diving under the challenge from the same Argentine midfielder, with the decision given after a VAR review.
Mac Allister came close to heading in a late winner in normal time but could not hit the target after good work from Nico González before Messi worked the ball onto his right foot and bent an attempt narrowly wide, with extra-time needed.
Both sides struggled to test either goalkeeper until Messi’s shot was parried by Kobel, with the play kept alive and leading to the winning goal. González picked out Jose Manuel Lopez, who laid the ball off for Alvarez to bend a sumptuous effort into the net.
However, Argentina were not done there. In Switzerland’s desperate attempt for an equaliser, Xhaka was dispossessed by Alvarez, but Thiago Almada was denied by Kobel, only for the rebound to fall kindly for Martínez to seal another dramatic victory.
Lionel Scaloni’s side will now face England, who also needed extra-time to beat Norway, on July 15.
Alvarez Lands Another Knockout Blow as Embolo’s Red Card Proves Costly
Having netted in nine consecutive games at the World Cup, Messi’s scoring run came to an end here, but he still made an impact. He has now recorded 10 World Cup assists, two more than any other player since 1966 (Diego Maradona has eight).
Mac Allister’s 10th-minute goal is the earliest Argentina has scored in a World Cup match since Gonzalo Higuaín’s eighth-minute strike against Belgium in the 2014 quarter-final, though Switzerland responded brightly through Ndoye.
However, the tables were turned when Embolo was dismissed for an avoidable second booking. He is the fourth player since 1966 to receive a second yellow card for simulation and the first since 2006 (Asamoah Gyan for Ghana vs. Brazil), and it proved costly for his team.
And though they could not get the job done in 90 minutes, Argentina would have been confident of getting themselves over the line. This was their 13th match to go to extra-time at the World Cup, more than any other team, and Alvarez’s late heroics improved their record in such matches to 11 victories.
Alvarez chose the right time to score his first World Cup goal since he netted a brace in the semi-finals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, too. Four of the in-demand Atlético Madrid forward’s five goals in the competition have now been scored in the knockout rounds.
For Switzerland, it was a familiar fate against Argentina, too. The last time they squared off at the World Cup was in the 2014 round of 16, with Argentina also winning 1-0 after extra-time thanks to Ángel Di María’s goal in the 118th minute.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Argentina vs Switzerland stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final meeting in Miami on 11 July.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Argentina vs Switzerland: Post-Match Opta Facts
- This is only the third time all four semi-finalists in a FIFA World Cup are former winners of the competition (1970, 1990).
- Argentina have reached the last four of the FIFA World Cup for the third time in the last four editions (2014, 2022, 2026). Prior to 2014, they hadn’t reached the semi-final since 1990.
- This was Argentina’s record 13th extra-time match in the FIFA World Cup. They have emerged as winners (including penalty shoot-out wins) in 11 of those.
- Switzerland have been eliminated in all four of their quarter-final appearances at the FIFA World Cup (1934, 1938, 1954, 2026).
- Julián Alvarez’s goal in the 112th minute was the second-latest goal Switzerland have conceded at the FIFA World Cup after a 118th-minute goal by Ángel Di María in Argentina’s 1-0 extra-time win in the 2014 round of 16.
- Lionel Messi has recorded 10 goal contributions in this FIFA World Cup, the second time he’s recorded 10 goal contributions in a single edition of the FIFA World Cup (2022), one of two players to do so multiple times since 1966 (Kylian Mbappé – 2022, 2026).
- Lionel Messi’s assist on Alexis Mac Allister’s opening goal was his 10th FIFA World Cup assist, two more than any other player since 1966 (Diego Maradona – 8). Messi’s 10 World Cup assists have set up goals for 10 different players.
- Lionel Scaloni is unbeaten in 10 all-time matches against UEFA opposition as manager of Argentina (W7 D3).
- Four of Julián Alvarez’s five career FIFA World Cup goals have been scored in the knockout rounds, tied with Diego Maradona for the second-most by an Argentinian player behind only Lionel Messi (7).
- Dan Ndoye is the fourth Switzerland player to score multiple goals at this year’s FIFA World Cup, joining Johan Manzambi, Breel Embolo and Rubén Vargas. Prior to 2026, the only World Cup in which multiple Swiss players scored 2+ goals was 1954 (Josef Hügi, Robert Ballamann).
- Breel Embolo is the fourth player on record to receive a second yellow card for simulation in the FIFA World Cup and the first since Asamoah Gyan for Ghana against Brazil in 2006.
Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a preferred source by clicking here.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
