Argentina strike late in extra time to sink Swiss and reach World Cup semis

Argentina's Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez scored deep in extra time to secure a dramatic 3-1 quarter-final win over 10-man Switzerland on Saturday and set up a heavyweight last-four clash against England in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Martinez added a third for the holders nine minutes later when he calmly slotted home the rebound of Thiago Almada's shot.

Alexis Mac Allister had given Argentina the lead in the 10th minute.

But the Swiss - without injured leading scorer Johan Manzambi, who had three goals and two assists - refused to wilt.

After a largely uneventful first half, the contest burst into life.

However, Switzerland were reduced to 10 men when Embolo got a second yellow card for simulation. It came after a lengthy VAR review for mistaken identity, with ⁠the referee overturning his initial decision to caution Argentina's Leandro Paredes.

The call left Swiss coach Murat Yakin livid.

Messi, nearly settled the contest in stoppage time with a fierce strike that flashed inches wide of the post.

Switzerland weathered wave after wave of pressure and appeared destined to force a shootout but their resistance was finally broken in the closing moments of ⁠extra time.

"We had to suffer a lot. We knew they were a physical team and that gave us a lot of trouble," said Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni. "Today we had luck on our side because one of their players was sent off. We could have played better but it's a big achievement to be in the semi-finals."

The distraught Swiss dropped to their knees, consoling each other, while Argentina's star-studded ⁠squad lingered on the pitch soaking up the atmosphere as Messi tugged off his shirt and twirled it above his head in front of the Argentina fans.

Wednesday's semi-final will mark the first time England have faced Messi at a World Cup.

-Reuters