Argentina Advances to Semifinals After Hard-Fought Victory; Top 4 FIFA-Ranked Teams Set for 'Dream Matchups'

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Argentina has advanced to the semifinals after defeating Switzerland in a hard-fought match that went into extra time. Only the top four teams in the FIFA rankings remain.

Reporter Hong Seok-jun has the story.

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Argentina, which had never lost to Switzerland in World Cup history, took control just 10 minutes into the match.

Messi delivered a sharp corner kick, and Mac Allister headed the ball into the net.

With this assist, Messi became the first player in World Cup history to record 10 assists, marking a new milestone by achieving double digits in both goals and assists.

Switzerland’s counterattack was formidable. After threatening Argentina with solid defense and quick transitions, Ndoye exchanged passes with a teammate on the left flank in the 67th minute and fired a precise shot between the goalkeeper's legs to equalize.

However, Switzerland faced a major setback just five minutes later. Embolo appeared to have been tripped by Argentina’s Paredes, leading to a yellow card for Paredes. However, a video review revealed there was no contact, and the yellow card was instead issued to Embolo. Having already received a yellow card earlier, Embolo was sent off and left the pitch in tears.

Although the 10-man Swiss side held firm to force the match into extra time, Alvarez emerged as Argentina’s hero in the 112th minute.

His right-footed shot from outside the penalty box drew a beautiful arc before finding the top corner of the net.

Following Alvarez’s first goal of the tournament and a clincher by Martinez just before the final whistle, Argentina secured a 3-1 victory and reached the semifinals for the second consecutive tournament.

While Messi’s nine-game scoring streak came to an end, Argentina extended its record to 12 consecutive matches with two or more goals, setting a new mark for the longest multi-goal streak in World Cup history.

[Messi / Captain, Argentina National Football Team: We are a team that always fights fiercely and gives our all to achieve the results we want. This will be my first time facing England, so the semifinal match will be special.]

With this result, the top four teams—No. 1 Argentina, No. 2 Spain, No. 3 France, and No. 4 England—have all reached the semifinals for the first time in World Cup history, setting up a series of dream matchups.

France will face Spain this Wednesday, and England will take on Argentina on Thursday to compete for a spot in the final.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-hee, Video Source: X(@AFASeleccionEN))
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.