Official lineups for Argentina-Switzerland
Argentina: E. Martinez - N. Molina, C. Romero, L. Martinez, Tagliafico - Paredes, De Paul, Mac Allister, E. Fernandez - Messi (Cap.), Alvarez.
Switzerland: Kobel - D. Zakaria, Elvedi, Akanji, R. Rodriguez - Freuler, Xhaka (Cap.) - Ndoye, Rieder, R. Vargas - Embolo.
And that's a wrap!
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Here's our recap:
- Messi's first ball frightens Nati
- Goaaaaaalll!!!!
- Messi's wild stats
- Switzerland stunned
- Many many fouls
- Dibu stands tall again!
- GOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLL
- And Embolo already had a yellow card
- Switzerland hunker down for survival
- GOOOOOOAAAALLLL
- Lautaro Martinez seals it
Lautaro Martinez seals it
The ball rebounds to Lautaro Martinez just outside the box and the Argentina forward doesn't hesitate!
GOOOOOOAAAALLLL
Paredes makes way for Lopez
Switzerland refuse to surrender!
10-man Nati keeps pushing for a winner
Otamendi replaces Romero
Second half of extra time underway
Half-time
Messi's free kick hits the wall!
Difficult day for La Pulga
Lautaro Martinez booked too
He is cautioned after a bad tackle on Akanji
Almada cautioned
Almada receives a yellow card from the referee after a reckless and useless challenge
Switzerland hunker down for survival
With Embolo's red card leaving them a man down, Switzerland have set up a compact defensive fortress. The Nati's strategy is clear: defend resolutely and hope to get to penalties
Extra time underway
End of the second half
Extra time beckons
Messi's chance goes astray!
Messi has space and time to shoot after a good pass finds him outside the box, but his strike is slightly off target and drifts past the right post
9 minutes of added time
Multiple substitutions before potential extra time
Both sides make wholesale changes in the closing stages. Switzerland introduce Muheim, Amdouni, and Widmer to replace Rieder, Ndoye, and Sow respectively.
rgentina respond with their own tweaks as Montiel replaces Molina and Lautaro Martinez comes on for De Paul. The managers are making fresh adjustments as they bid to control the closing phases of this quarter-final.
Tagliafico makes way for Gonzalez
Argentina survived two epic battles against Cape Verde and Egypt. The defending champions overcame these scares, with their experience and depth proving decisive. Lionel Messi's side need to avoid the Nati trap to get to the semis and take on England.
Switzerland made their remarkable journey to the quarter-finals with Manzambi's emergence as a World Cup star. The young forward combined with the Nati's tactical discipline could prove crucial in overcoming a traditional powerhouse like Argentina.
