Argentina edges Switzerland in extra time to reach World Cup semifinals

Argentina scraped into the World Cup semifinals after a tense 3-1 extra-time victory against Switzerland. The South American giants, led by Lionel Messi, struggled for long periods against a disciplined Swiss side.

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Today luck was on our side, because one of their players was sent off. We could have played better. But it is a great achievement to be in the semifinals.

Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring for Argentina in the 10th minute with a header from a Messi corner. However, Switzerland equalized through Dan Ndoye in the 67th minute. The match took a dramatic turn when Swiss striker Breel Embolo received a yellow-red card after a VAR review for a dive in the 72nd minute.

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We knew they were a physical team. That caused us great difficulties.

Despite the man advantage, Argentina could not find a breakthrough in regulation time. Julian Alvarez finally broke the deadlock in the 112th minute with a spectacular long-range shot. Lautaro Martinez sealed the win in the 121st minute with a counter-attack goal. This victory means Argentina will face England in the semifinals.

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If you look at the course of the game, we were much better than the opponent. In the end, we can't buy anything with that.

Lionel Messi's streak of scoring in nine consecutive World Cup matches ended, but coach Lionel Scaloni acknowledged the team's luck. "Today luck was on our side because one of their players was sent off," Scaloni said. "We could have played better. But it is a great achievement to be in the semifinals." He admitted his team suffered against the physical Swiss side, who he felt caused them significant difficulties.

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But I am incredibly proud of my team.