Argentina needed patience, control and one decisive moment from Julian Alvarez to get past Elvetia and reach the semifinals of the Campionatului Mondial. The world champions won 3-1 after extra time, with the Atletico Madrid forward breaking the deadlock in the 112th minute.
It was a match that asked questions of Argentina all the way through. They led through Alexis Mac Allister's finish in the 10th minute after a Lionel Messi cross, but Elveția forced their way back into the game through Dan Ndoye in the 67th minute and pushed the contest beyond 90 minutes.
Argentina had to work for it
The first half had already carried a warning for Elveția. Breel Embolo was booked in the 44th minute, and that became important later when referee Joao Pinheiro reviewed the incident in the 69th minute under the mistaken identity protocol and showed him a second yellow. From that point on, Elveția were down to ten men and Argentina could press harder in search of the winner.
That winner arrived from distance. Julian Alvarez scored in the 112th minute with a shot from outside the box, giving Argentina the breakthrough they had been chasing since Elveția levelled the match. It was the kind of goal that settles knockout football: clean, direct and timed perfectly.
Lautaro finishes the job
Argentina still had to remain alert, but once the game moved into the closing moments of extra time, Lautaro made sure there would be no doubt. He scored in 120+1 to complete the 3-1 victory and confirm Argentina's place in the Semifinalele Campionatului Mondial.
The result underlined the difference between surviving a knockout tie and deciding it. Argentina were pushed, tested and taken into extra time, but they still found the quality needed at the key moments. Mac Allister gave them the start, Alvarez provided the decisive strike, and Lautaro sealed it at the end.
For Elveția, the red card changed the rhythm of the contest, but Argentina's composure in the decisive phases was the difference. The champions move on, with the bigger stage of the semifinals now waiting.
