Here we go, then. Cancel the plans, fill the fridge and settle in. Argentina will meet England in a World Cup semifinal, and for Lionel Messi, it brings a remarkable first.
It promises to be a huge occasion, made even more intriguing by one of the stranger details of Messi’s extraordinary international journey. Across 21 years, six World Cups and 205 appearances for Argentina, the 39-year-old has somehow never played against England.
Fixtures between these two old rivals have been rare in recent times. The last meeting came in a friendly in Geneva in late 2005, when Messi was unavailable through suspension after being sent off just 30 seconds into his Argentina debut against Hungary a few months earlier.
Two decades on, Messi finally has his appointment with England, though Argentina made their supporters suffer before getting there. On another tense night for the defending champions, Lionel Scaloni’s side were pushed into extra time once again and needed a flash of brilliance to survive. This time, however, the decisive contributions came not from Messi but from two of Argentina’s other forwards.
Messi still had his imprint on the match, creating Alexis Mac Allister’s opening goal. But with 23 minutes remaining, Switzerland dragged themselves level through Dan Ndoye, leaving the tie delicately balanced. Then came a costly lapse from Breel Embolo, who was sent off for diving and left his team to fight on with 10 men.
Switzerland resisted bravely until the 112th minute, when Julian Alvarez bent a superb finish into the top corner to break their resistance. Lautaro Martinez then added a third in stoppage time, sealing a 3-1 victory and setting up another chapter in one of soccer’s great rivalries.
Julian Alvarez struck a superb extra-time goal as Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1
Lionel Messi and Argentina will now meet England in a highly anticipated semifinal in Atlanta
So, barring disaster over the next four days, Messi will lead Argentina out for their sixth World Cup clash with England. The story of this rivalry stretches over 64 years, from the Chilean city of Rancagua to a $1.6billion dome in Atlanta, via Wembley, Mexico City, Saint-Etienne, Sapporo, one raised hand and one flick of David Beckham’s leg.
With victory over Mexico, England have already exorcised a few demons at the Azteca. Now, 40 years after they were haunted by the fist of Diego Maradona, they face the dancing feet of another Argentina No 10. All that remains to be seen? How much more Messi’s creaking body can take. The 39-year-old has now racked up 330 minutes over three knockout games. But only a fool would bet against him writing his own slice of this story.
Shortly before kickoff in Kansas City, in a brief pause from the adverts and announcements and the invitations to make more noise, the stadium cameraman zoomed in on one elderly woman in the stands.
She was decked out in Argentina colors and she was carrying a sign. It read: ‘I’ve lived through every World Cup.’
Simple arithmetic would suggest she is knocking on the door of a century and over the course of that extraordinary life, she won’t have seen many tournaments or title defenses quite like this. Or individual campaigns with numbers to rival these.
It took 10 minutes for Messi to register his 10th goal involvement of this World Cup, Mac Allister meeting his corner with a glancing header that flashed past Gregor Kobel and ratcheted up the noise another few notches.
Switzerland striker Breel Embolo was sent off for diving during a dramatic second half
It was a terrific header but, for Switzerland, it was a sickener – they had settled much the quicker, only to concede from Argentina’s first real venture forward. All of a sudden, Murat Yakin’s side were tasked with coming from behind – that was uncharted territory for Switzerland at this World Cup.
And for 20 minutes of this second half, they banged on the Argentina door without any joy. Emiliano Martinez saved from Embolo’s header and then from Ndoye’s header and then from Granit Xhaka’s long-range shot. Each time, the goalkeeper responded by whipping up the crowd. But they eventually fell silent after Ndoye finished off a neat move by beating the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
For the first time all night, the noise was coming from the tiny pocket of Swiss fans behind Martinez’s goal. Then referee Joao Pinheiro booked Leandro Paredes for a tackle on Embolo and all hell broke loose: VAR asked Pinheiro to have another look.
Replays showed Embolo – who was already on a yellow card – had dived. That did not stop the Swiss bench from exploding in fury. Cue more allegations of favoritism toward the defending champions. But let’s be clear: it was the right call. And so a blubbing Embolo had to be escorted down the tunnel by Swiss players and staff.
From there on out, they were clinging on for penalties. Mac Allister sent a late effort over and then, in stoppage time, Messi curled narrowly wide before Kobel parried away an acrobatic volley from Lisandro Martinez.
Extra time was a little more than a siege and Switzerland held firm until Alvarez opened up his body and took aim for the far corner. By then, the Swiss had nothing left. But there was still time for Martinez to add a third and set up a mouthwatering semifinal.
FANS FACE MORE TORTURE
Next week’s showdown in Atlanta promises to be an occasion to rival any other at this – or any – World Cup. It is a fixture teeming with history and storylines and scores to settle. And recent history suggests it could be a brutal watch.
For much of this World Cup, neither England nor Argentina have really clicked into gear. Time and again, they have been forced to dig themselves out of a hole. Time and again, they have relied on the genius of a few individuals. It has made for dramatic, chaotic journeys to the last four. And on Wednesday, something has to give.
If France’s clash with Spain looks set to be a tactical tussle between two slick attacking units, England against Argentina could be another night of torture for fans of both teams.
EMBOLO LEAVES SWITZERLAND IN THE LURCH
In the end, Breel Embolo ended this World Cup just as he began it – separated from his teammates and wondering what he had done wrong. Nearly six weeks have passed since the Switzerland striker was blocked from traveling to the US because of issues with his visa.
It turned out his ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) was no longer approved. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Embolo to rejoin the rest of the squad and over the past month he has led the line for Yakin’s side – scoring two goals, creating two more and causing Argentina plenty of problems here, too.
But then the authorities took issue with Embolo once more. Switzerland had just equalized when the referee consulted his monitor and realized that Embolo had dived. It was brainless from the striker. No wonder the tears began to flow after his fate was sealed.
ARGENTINA INVADES THE MIDWEST
They boarded flights before dawn on the West Coast of this vast country. They congregated in the lobbies of hotels around Kansas City. They wandered along the highways toward Arrowhead Stadium in the scorching midafternoon sun. And then they flicked their wrists and emptied their lungs all night.
This was an invasion of Argentineans and locals besotted by their No 10. Together, they made a deafening din throughout this quarterfinal. Save for a small pocket of red behind one goal, this entire stadium was painted blue and white. It was a remarkable sight.
The only snag? There was space for plenty more Argentineans. In the middle and upper tiers of Arrowhead Stadium, empty seats were everywhere. It was a crying shame and a dreadful look for FIFA who – of course – announced another full house regardless. Earlier in the week, on one resale site, the cheapest ticket for this game was $1,142.
