Julian Alvarez scored a breathtaking goal as Argentina battled past 10-man Switzerland 3-1 after extra-time on Saturday, setting up a mouthwatering World Cup semi-final against bitter rivals England.
Fans of the South American team dominated the stands in Kansas City and were celebrating as early as the 10th minute when their hero Lionel Messi set up Alexis Mac Allister’s opener.
Switzerland levelled midway through the second half through Dan Ndoye but minutes later disaster struck when Breel Embolo was sent off after picking up a second yellow card for simulation.
The match went to extra-time and Switzerland snuffed out wave after wave of attacks until Alvarez curled a breathtaking strike into the top corner in the 112th minute.
Lautaro Martinez added gloss with a last-gasp third.
“We had to suffer a lot but we knew they were a physical team,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni.
“We had many difficulties. Sometimes we couldn’t find the solutions, but today we had luck on our side because one of their players was sent off.”
