Kansas City (US): Julian Alvarez sent defending champions Argentina back to the World Cup semifinals with a long-range strike in the 112th minute against Switzerland, while another goal by Lautaro Martinez with seconds left in extra time only served to make the 3-1 victory look a whole lot easier than it was on Saturday night.
Alexis Mac Allister also scored from a corner kick delivered by Lionel Messi, helping La Albiceleste gut out another down-to-the-wire thriller and advance to play England on Wednesday in Atlanta. The Three Lions beat Norway 2-1 earlier in the day.
Messi's nine-game World Cup scoring streak ended, but his pursuit of a second World Cup title continues. With Argentina and England joining France and Spain in the semifinals, it is the first time the top four teams in the FIFA rankings have all advanced that far.
The game swung in the second half on a call sure to rile up critics who believe Argentina has been favoured by officials in this tournament.
The Swiss had just tied the game on Dan Ndoye's goal in the 67th minute when Leandro Paredes was shown a yellow card for a tackle on Breel Embolo. But video showed the Swiss player falling before the Argentina midfielder made contact with him, and since Embolo had received a yellow card earlier in the match, he was sent off, leaving Switzerland to defend with 10 players.
It was the second time a yellow card had been overturned using the "mistaken identity" protocol at the World Cup. The rule allows the video assistant referee to intervene when an incorrect player is shown a yellow or red card.
Argentina, which is riding a 12-match World Cup unbeaten streak, had looked quite beatable in the knockout rounds. Lionel Scaloni's squad needed extra time to squeak past Cape Verde before rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the final 11 minutes of regulation to beat Egypt and earn a date with Switzerland at the home of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Swiss, meanwhile, were playing in their first World Cup quarterfinal since 1954. They have still never reached a semifinal, nor have they beaten Argentina in eight meetings, three of those in the tournament that matters the most.
Argentina has made its base for the past month in Kansas City, training at the home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City while winning over thousands of new fans. On Saturday night, they filled Arrowhead Stadium for the second time this tournament, hoping to see Messi produce more magic after his hat-trick against Algeria in the same venue a few weeks ago.
It was brutally hot and humid throughout the day, but temperatures began to fall with the setting sun, producing a picturesque setting for the 100th match of the expanded World Cup and the final match of the quarterfinal round.
The defensive-minded Swiss had conceded only three goals in five matches, and they dominated possession in the opening minutes. But Messi, whose eight goals in the tournament are tied with France's Kylian Mbappe for the most, sparked the heavily pro-Argentina crowd, which included Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
He won an early corner kick with some clever footwork before delivering the cross that Mac Allister converted to give Argentina a 1-0 lead.
For most of the match, the Swiss struggled to break down an Argentina backline that had conceded two goals in each of its previous two games. Their task became even harder without Johan Manzabi, one of their leading goalscorers, who remained sidelined with a knee injury after missing the Round of 16 penalty shootout victory over Colombia.
However, after forcing Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez into making a couple of important second-half saves, Switzerland equalised when Ricardo Rodriguez slipped a neat pass to Ndoye, who calmly found the back of the net.
Whatever momentum the equaliser gave the Swiss disappeared after Embolo's red card a few minutes later.
Argentina stepped up the pressure, with Mac Allister heading wide in the 89th minute before Messi created another opportunity in stoppage time but sent his effort just wide, taking the match into extra time.
Just as they have throughout the tournament, La Albiceleste found a way to keep their quest for back-to-back World Cup titles alive.
