The red card against Embolo weighs too heavily: Swiss footballers lose the World Cup quarterfinal against Argentina 1:3

Switzerland's World Cup dreams were dashed as they fell 3-1 to Argentina in a tense quarterfinal clash, a match significantly impacted by a controversial red card shown to striker Breel Embolo. The Swiss team showed resilience, equalizing after conceding an early goal and managing to force extra time despite playing with a numerical disadvantage for nearly 50 minutes.

The match, held in Kansas City, saw Switzerland rally after falling behind. Dan Ndoye scored the equalizer in the 67th minute, sparking celebrations across Switzerland in the early hours of the morning. However, the jubilation was short-lived. Just minutes later, in the 72nd minute, Embolo was sent off following a second yellow card.

The incident occurred after Embolo went down following a challenge with Argentina's Leandro Paredes. While the initial foul seemed minor, video review led the referee to overturn the decision against Paredes and instead issue a second yellow card to Embolo for simulation. This ruling, which allowed the referee to reassign a yellow card within the same match, proved pivotal.

Reduced to 10 men against the reigning world champions, Switzerland struggled to maintain their defensive shape. Coach Murat Yakin attempted to adjust tactics, shifting to a 5-3-1 formation to try and reach a penalty shootout. However, Argentina capitalized on the advantage, scoring twice more to secure their place in the semifinals, leaving the Swiss team to reflect on what might have been.