Alvarez's 112th-minute goal helps lift Argentina past Switzerland 3-1 and into World Cup semifinals

Julian Alvarez struck from distance in the 112th minute to break a deadlock against Switzerland and carry defending champion Argentina into the World Cup semifinals, sealing a 3-1 victory that looked more routine on the scoreboard than it felt on the pitch.

The match, played Saturday night in Kansas City, Missouri, needed the full 120 minutes to settle. Alvarez's extra-time finish from well outside the box broke the tension and put Argentina in front for good, and Lautaro Martinez added a second goal in the closing seconds of the additional period, turning a nervy contest into a scoreline that understates how tightly fought the game actually was.

Argentina had opened the scoring earlier through Alexis Mac Allister, who converted a corner delivered by Lionel Messi. That goal set the tone for a match La Albiceleste had to fight for until the final whistle rather than control comfortably, extending a pattern of narrow, suspense-filled knockout wins for the South American side at this tournament.

With the result, Argentina advances to face England in the semifinals on Wednesday in Atlanta. England secured its own spot in the final four earlier Saturday, edging Norway 2-1 in a separate quarterfinal. The pairing sets up a high-profile clash between two of the tournament's traditional heavyweights, with a place in the championship match on the line.

Saturday's win keeps alive Argentina's bid to defend the title it won in Qatar in 2022, a triumph built around Messi's leadership and a squad that has since become accustomed to close calls in elimination rounds. This year's competition, expanded to a larger 48-team field and staged across venues in the United States, Mexico and Canada, has already produced a run of tightly contested knockout matches, and Saturday's quarterfinal fit that trend, going the distance before a winner emerged.

Switzerland, for its part, pushed the favorites deep into extra time and forced Argentina to rely on moments of individual quality rather than sustained dominance to escape with the win. The Swiss side's resistance underscored that Argentina's route through the knockout stage has been anything but the coronation some expected from the reigning champions, a narrative that has followed the team through multiple rounds of this tournament.

Attention now shifts to Atlanta, where Argentina and England will meet in a semifinal carrying significant stakes for both programs. For Argentina, another deep run raises the possibility of a repeat title and adds to the storyline surrounding Messi, whose participation in this edition has been closely watched given his age and stature in the sport. England, fresh off eliminating Norway, will arrive as a side seeking to reach its first World Cup final in decades.

Neither team can afford the kind of slow start that marked Saturday's quarterfinal, given the stakes of a semifinal berth and the短 turnaround before Wednesday's match. Both sides showed in their respective quarterfinals that late-game composure, rather than early control, has been the deciding factor in this tournament's biggest matches so far.

Source: NPR World