Foreign media on Argentina's World Cup semifinal win: 'Invincible' but 'suffered'

Argentina's hard-fought 3-1 extra-time victory against Switzerland, which propelled them into the 2026 World Cup semifinals, drew varied reactions from international media.

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Argentina, with twelve men, beat Switzerland, who played with ten, and thus Lionel Messi kept his participation in the World Cup alive, qualifying for a showdown with England.

In England, the focus was on the upcoming semifinal clash against Argentina, with Sky Sports calling it a "dream match." The Guardian, however, offered a more critical perspective, recalling how Argentina nearly faltered against a tenacious Swiss side. The newspaper noted that Argentina was heading towards penalties with only eight minutes left in extra time against a ten-man Swiss team, after initially leading through Alexis Mac Allister's header. They highlighted the risk of regret for squandering a seemingly comfortable lead before Dan Ndoye equalized for Switzerland.

Spanish media presented a mixed view. Marca's headline declared "the champion feels invincible," but the accompanying article suggested Argentina "suffered" once more. The publication pointed out that Argentina had to go into extra time after a controversial second yellow card for Swiss player Breel Embolo in the 72nd minute. The article noted that Julián Álvarez's goal in the 112th minute ultimately decided the match, ending Switzerland's resilient performance.

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the champion feels invincible

The English tabloid The Sun adopted a more provocative tone, ironically suggesting Argentina, playing with "twelve men" against Switzerland's ten, had an unfair advantage. This commentary alluded to the VAR-reviewed second yellow card for Embolo, which some conspiracy theorists might exploit, according to the paper.

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Argentina was heading towards penalties with eight minutes left in extra time against a tenacious and magnificently organized ten-man Switzerland.