Julián Álvarez scores a great goal, Argentina beat Switzerland in extra time and go to the World Cup semi-finals

The classification came after an expulsion from Embolo in the final stage and once again featured a decisive participation from Lionel Messi and a beautiful goal from Julián Álvarez in extra time.

Now, Argentina faces England next Wednesday (15), at 4pm (Brasília time), at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, earning a place in the grand final.

After a peaceful campaign in the group stage, the Argentines once again encountered difficulties in the knockout stage. Just as happened against Cape Verde and Egypt, the team struggled to overcome Switzerland and continues without repeating the dominant football they presented in the 2022 World Cup title campaign in Qatar.

Messi's dependence became evident again. 10 minutes into the first half, it was from a corner kick from number 10 that Mac Allister appeared to open the scoring with a header.

Switzerland, which for the first time came behind on the scoreboard in this World Cup, started to press in search of a draw. Despite controlling more ball possession, the European team found it difficult to transform dominance into clear scoring chances.

After half-time, the Swiss increased their intensity and created good opportunities. Ndoye wasted a one-on-one chance with Dibu Martínez after Embolo's pass. Shortly afterwards, Embolo himself forced the Argentine goalkeeper to make two great saves.

The pressure paid off 22 minutes into the second half. Ndoye linked up with Ricardo Rodríguez and hit a cross to leave everything equal.

Switzerland's favorable moment, however, was short-lived. Five minutes later, Embolo received a second yellow card for simulation after a VAR review and ended up being sent off, leaving the team with one player less in the final stretch of the match.

With a numerical advantage, Argentina pressed until the end of regulation time, but stopped at goalkeeper Kobel's defense and had to play extra time.

In extra time, the Argentines maintained control of the actions. Seven minutes into the second half of extra time, Julián Álvarez hit a shot into the corner to put the team back in front.

In the final minutes, with Switzerland fully launched into the attack, Thiago Almada launched the counterattack, and Lautaro Martínez took advantage of the rebound to score the third goal and confirm the classification.

The semi-final will pit two of the greatest teams in World Cup history face to face. In addition to the sporting rivalry, Argentina and England have a history of notable clashes in World Cups, including the 1986 quarter-final match, immortalized by the "Hand of God" goal and Maradona's great goal.

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Elimination weakens the current president, representative of the 'Brasília gang' who currently calls the shots in the entity. Led by Francisco Mendes, son of Gilmar Mendes, the group has an ambiguous relationship with federations