Argentina 3-1 Switzerland: Álvarez Extra-Time Stunner

Argentina made hard work of it, then remembered they have Julián Álvarez. The holders needed extra time and a moment of magic to beat 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in Kansas City, Álvarez’s stunning strike settling a nervy night that Lionel Messi’s side made far more awkward than it should have been.

What happened in Argentina 3-1 Switzerland?

It could not have started better. On 10 minutes Alexis Mac Allister met a Messi corner and headed Argentina in front, and for a while they looked comfortable. Then Switzerland worked their way into it, and on 67 minutes Dan Ndoye curled a finish in from a tight angle past Emiliano Martínez to make it 1-1.

Five minutes later the game turned. Breel Embolo, having just helped Switzerland level, was sent off on 72 minutes after a VAR check turned a dive into a second yellow, and a Switzerland side that had defended superbly had to see the rest out a man down. They very nearly did.

How did Julián Álvarez win it?

With the best goal of the round. On 112 minutes, deep into extra time, Álvarez picked the ball up with a bit of space and bent it into the top corner from distance, the kind of strike a tiring, 10-man defence can do nothing about. Lautaro Martínez added a third in the 121st minute, tapping in to make the scoreline flatter Argentina a little.

It is the balance that has made Lionel Scaloni’s attack so hard to stop over two tournaments. Álvarez and Lautaro carry a real share of the goals, so Argentina no longer live or die by whether Messi scores.

What was Messi’s role?

He set up the opener with the corner for Mac Allister and pulled Switzerland’s back line around all night, but he did not get on the scoresheet. At 38 he is picking his moments, and on this occasion the goals came from the men around him rather than off his own boot.

There is a record hanging over all of this. Messi’s 21 World Cup goals are still the most anyone has scored, and with Kylian Mbappé now one behind on 20 and alive in the same draw, the two of them are racing for it at the same tournament. Our guide to the most World Cup goals of all time has the full picture.

Why did Switzerland leave with their heads high?

Because they took the champions to the wire with 10 men. Ndoye’s goal and an hour of disciplined defending asked real questions of Argentina, and in the end it took two flashes of quality in extra time to beat them. Coming after their shootout win over Colombia in the last 16, this was another run that went beyond what anyone expected of them. A red card and a wonder goal beat them, not any failing of their own.

Who do Argentina play next at World Cup 2026?

England, in Atlanta on July 15. It is Argentina’s third semi-final in four tournaments, reached by way of the Kansas City-to-Atlanta route our knockout guide laid out. Messi against Jude Bellingham, holders against a stubborn England side, with a place in the final at stake. For how the rest of the draw looks, see our guide to the last eight and the quarter-finals explained.