Julián Álvarez’s extra-time stunner sinks 10-man Switzerland to send Argentina into semi-finals

Did anyone think they would do it the easy way? Argentina were labouring towards penalties with eight minutes of extra time left against a dogged, supremely organised 10-man Switzerland. There was a high risk they would curse throwing away a game that felt like a cruise when Alexis Mac Allister headed them into an early lead. The game ground down to walking pace and they received an almighty jolt when the impressive Dan Ndoye equalised midway through the second half.

Lionel Messi, for all his various attempts, could not bail them out this time. Instead it was Julián Álvarez, cutting on to his right foot and sending a quite stunning finish into Gregor Kobel’s top left corner from 25 yards, who provided the magic and gave this summer a semi-final for the ages. They will face England on Wednesday in Atlanta, a fact rubber-stamped when Lautaro Martínez scored a late rebound. Messi will contest that fixture for the first time, 40 years since the Hand of God. Switzerland will think it could have been them had Breel Embolo not received a second booking five minutes after Ndoye’s goal for diving.

It was supposed to be Switzerland who dug in and asked the question they had successfully posed Colombia: can you possibly find a way through us? Instead they were breached within 10 minutes and the frustration for head coach Murat Yakin was the opener’s sheer simplicity. Argentina had just shown in attack for the first time, a deflected Mac Allister drive resulting in successive corners. From the second, Messi’s delivery to the near post found Mac Allister leaping between Embolo and Djibril Sow. Initially the contact did not seem clean as it looped across Kobel, settling in the goalkeeper’s far corner. On second viewing the header had been perfectly directed and Argentina had a platform from which to dictate.

Switzerland had, in fact, begun with purpose and pressed Argentina. Sow could not quite angle himself for a meaningful strike and, over on the left flank, Ndoye had made his presence felt. There was some suggestion they could exploit the lurking neurosis that has never been far behind Argentina’s highly-wrought outpourings.

Mac Allister dampened that and it is no exaggeration to state the rest of the first half was a non event. Argentina could control proceedings in supposition that their opponents lacked the wit or, crucially, courage to expose them. That is not to say Lionel Scaloni’s team did not have a mistake in it. Shortly after the half-hour Lisandro Martínez, favourite to deal with Ndoye’s through ball, let Embolo run across him and for a moment the centre-forward was through. It was Emiliano Martínez, perhaps grateful for involvement, who rescued him by dashing out to bundle away.

A crude challenge on Leandro Paredes by Embolo, whose yellow card proved gravely consequential, at least livened a crowd who had begun in carnival mode before being mellowed by the game’s lack of edge. If there was little to enjoy in the cautious spectacle unfolding down below it was at least possible to take pleasure in the surroundings. This roofless, crucible-like venue yawned out beneath a deep blue midwest sky, Argentina’s hymns ringing around its curved rim whenever the mood took 90% of those present.

Switzerland players plead their case with referee Joao Pinheiro after attacker Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card against Argentina

Nothing was happening and that was the perfect scenario for Argentina. A second goal would surely settle matters though and they sought one after the restart. A weighted Messi pass found Nahuel Molina breaking clear on the right but he dragged wide; Álvarez then saw a strike deflected off target and at least, with Switzerland requiring some ambition, the tempo had raised a notch above the stultifying.

Then it hit warp speed. Switzerland were making ground down the wings and sensed weakness when Martínez clutched Embolo’s header. They began to move the ball with purpose, a step removed from the earlier laboured fare. In the 65th minute Ndoye rose, glanced towards goal and Martínez parried to his left. Granit Xhaka then drew an untidy stop from his former Arsenal teammate and, when it came, the leveller was little surprise.

Ndoye, by a distance Switzerland’s biggest threat, stayed composed to wrap his body around the ball and slide it past Martínez after a tidy enough exchange with Ricardo Rodriguez. Argentina were left to wonder how Ndoye had been able to run off Molina and execute a finish whose creation had been well signposted.

If Switzerland had lift-off, they were soon plunged into a quagmire by Embolo’s stupidity. The referee João Pinheiro had booked Paredes for an apparent foul on Embolo by the right touchline, perhaps assuming revenge for the earlier infraction. A VAR review showed a clear dive, its findings unarguable, and instead it was Embolo who received his second caution. Once the Swiss protests had come to naught, he departed in tears.

Messi tried to deepen the angst, attempting a dink over Kobel but being pulled up for offside. Had it gone in, a goal would probably been enough to break Switzerland’s resistance. Mac Allister bulleted another header over and, with the last action before extra time, Kobel brilliantly denied Lisandro Martínez. An attritional half-hour seemed likely to be fruitless when Kobel again denied Messi. Then Álvarez and Martínez found their range to book a semi-final showdown with England.

The Guardian wp:paragraph