Scaloni admits luck played a role in Argentina's tough World Cup semifinal win

Argentina advanced to the World Cup semifinals after a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Switzerland in extra time. Despite the win, coach Lionel Scaloni admitted the team benefited from luck and identified areas for improvement in their performance.

"We knew the Swiss were physically very strong and we suffered a lot in this match," Scaloni said. "Switzerland caused us great difficulties, but we must play better. We also had luck. We took advantage of having an extra player and from that moment on we attacked much more fiercely."

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We knew the Swiss were physically very strong and we suffered a lot in this match. Switzerland caused us great difficulties, but we must play better. We also had luck. We took advantage of having an extra player and from that moment on we attacked much more fiercely. We achieved another great result by reaching the semifinals, but we have to improve some things in our game.

Scaloni praised the team's resilience, noting, "We always go through all sorts of things, but we find a way to win. We push together, we believe in ourselves." However, he stressed the need for improvement, stating, "We achieved another great result by reaching the semifinals, but we have to improve some things in our game."

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We always go through all sorts of things, but we find a way to win. We push together, we believe in ourselves. We had an extra player, but things on the field were not easy for us. We tried until the end and succeeded.

Switzerland's coach Murat Yakin expressed frustration with a second yellow card shown to Embolo, which he deemed unwarranted and decisive. "I absolutely cannot accept the second yellow card Embolo received. There was no reason for it. It was a completely harmless situation," Yakin stated. "We were punished for an unacceptable rule. That decision, which decided the winner, hurts me. At that moment we were destroyed, our game was destroyed by it. We can only accept it and move on."

Argentine scorer Julian Alvarez also commented on the match's difficulty, acknowledging that all knockout stage games are tough. He echoed the sentiment of collective effort and belief within the team, despite the challenges faced on the field.

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I absolutely cannot accept the second yellow card Embolo received. There was no reason for it. It was a completely harmless situation. We were punished for an unacceptable rule. That decision, which decided the winner, hurts me. At that moment we were destroyed, our game was destroyed by it. We can only accept it and move on.