07/11/26 11:06:00
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07/11 23:04 CDT Alvarez's 112th-minute goal helps lift Argentina past
Switzerland 3-1 and into World Cup semifinals
Alvarez's 112th-minute goal helps lift Argentina past Switzerland 3-1 and into
World Cup semifinals
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) --- Julian Alvarez sent defending champion Argentina back
to the World Cup semifinals with a long-range strike in the 112th minute
against Switzerland, while another goal by Lautaro Martinez with seconds left
in extra time only served to make the 3-1 victory look a whole lot easier than
it was Saturday night.
Alexis Mac Allister also scored off a corner kick from Lionel Messi, helping La
Albiceleste gut out another down-to-the-wire thriller and advance to play
England on Wednesday in Atlanta. The Three Lions beat Norway 2-1 earlier in the
day.
Messi's nine-game World Cup scoring streak ended, but his pursuit of a second
World Cup title continues. With Argentina and England joining France and Spain
in the semifinals, it's the first time the top four teams in the FIFA rankings
have all advanced that far.
The game swung in the second half on a call sure to rile up critics who believe
Argentina has been favored by officials in this tournament.
The Swiss had just tied the game on Dan Ndoye's goal in the 67th minute when
Leandro Paredes was shown a yellow card for a tackle on Breel Embolo. But video
showed the Swiss player falling before the Argentina midfielder made contact
with him, and since Embolo received a yellow card earlier in the match, he was
sent off and Switzerland was left to defend with 10 players.
It was the second time a yellow card has been overturned using the "mistaken
identity" protocol at the World Cup. The rule allows the video assistant
referee to intervene when an incorrect player is shown a yellow or red card.
Argentina, which is riding a 12-match World Cup unbeaten streak, had looked
quite beatable in the knockout rounds. Lionel Scaloni's squad needed extra time
to squeak past tiny Cape Verde before rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the final
11 minutes of regulation to beat Egypt and earn a date with Switzerland at the
home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Swiss, meanwhile, were playing their first World Cup quarterfinal since
1954. They still have never made a semifinal, nor have they beaten Argentina in
eight meetings --- three of those in the tournament that matters the most.
Argentina has made its base for the past month in Kansas City, training at the
home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City while winning over thousands of new fans.
And on Saturday night, they filled Arrowhead Stadium for the second time this
tournament, hoping to see Messi make more magic after his hat trick against
Algeria in the same building a few weeks ago.
It was brutally hot and humid throughout the day, but the temperatures began to
fall with the setting sun, producing a picturesque setting for the 100th match
of an expanded World Cup, and the final match of the quarterfinal round.
The defensive-minded Swiss had only conceded three goals in five games, and
they dominated the ball in the opening minutes. But leave it to Messi, whose
eight goals in the tournament are tied for the most with France's Kylian
Mbapp, to send a jolt through a heavily pro-Argentina crowd that included
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
He helped to earn an early corner kick with some nifty footwork, then delivered
the ball that Mac Allister turned into a 1-0 lead.
For most of the match, the Swiss struggled to break down an Argentina back line
that had conceded two goals apiece in its last two games. And it didn't help
their cause that they were playing without Johan Manzabi, one of their best
goal-scorers, who remained out with a knee injury after missing their round of
16 penalty shootout win over Colombia.
But after forcing Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez into making a couple
of tough second-half saves, the Swiss broke through when Ricardo Rodriguez
slipped a tidy pass to Ndoye and he easily found the back of the net.
Whatever momentum the equalizer gave the Swiss disappeared with Embolo's red
card a few minutes later.
Argentina turned up the pressure with Mac Allister missing wide with a header
in the 89th minute, and Messi creating an opportunity in front of the goal that
he sent just wide in the second minute of stoppage time, leaving the game tied
into extra time.
Just as they have all tournament, La Albiceleste found a way to keep their
quest for back-to-back championships alive.
___
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