Alvarez, Martinez send Argentina into World Cup semifinals

Kansas City – Argentina booked their place in the World Cup semifinals with a hard-fought 3-1 extra-time victory over 10-man Switzerland on Saturday. Julian Alvarez broke the deadlock in the 112th minute with a precise curling shot, and substitute Lautaro Martinez sealed the win with a close-range finish after his initial attempt was blocked.

Earlier, Alexis Mac Allister had put defending champions Argentina ahead, nodding home a corner from Lionel Messi. Switzerland equalized through Dan Ndoye, but their hopes were significantly dented when Breel Embolo received a second yellow card, leaving them a man down for the final 18 minutes of normal time.

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We have been playing at the highest level, and the margins were not in our favour, but that's life, and now we need to breathe a bit.

Argentina will now face England in the semifinals. England also required extra time to overcome a resilient Norway side, winning 2-1. Jude Bellingham scored both goals for England, the second coming early in the additional period after his initial equalizer had canceled out Norway's opener.

Norway's coach, Stale Solbakken, expressed pride despite the defeat, reflecting on his team's remarkable World Cup journey. Playing in their first World Cup since 1998, Norway surpassed all expectations by topping their group and eliminating five-time champions Brazil in the Round of 16. Solbakken praised his players for competing at the highest level, acknowledging that fine margins ultimately decided the outcome.

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This is the way it is, this is at the top level, it can't get any higher than this, and we had a few problems in the beginning, the first 20 minutes, but I really applaud the boys.