• Argentina survives Switzerland, 3-1:Julián Alvarez scored one of the goals of the 2026 World Cup in the 112th minute to give Argentina a 2-1 lead over a 10-man Switzerland, which had stunned the world champs to force extra time. Lautaro Martínez added one more late
• England to the World Cup semifinal:Jude Bellingham’s two goals are enough to see England through to the World Cup semifinal. They defeat Norway 2-1 in extra time after a thrilling contest in truly brutal conditions in South Florida. They’ll face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon
• Spain and France in the other semi: Spain’s victory yesterday locked La Roja in for a semifinal heavyweight clash against France, set for Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET in Dallas
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Our live coverage of the England-Norway and Argentina-Switzerland matches has ended. Scroll down for more news and analysis from the final two World Cup quarterfinal matches
Julian Alvarez, center, celebrates scoring Argentina’s second goal.
Argentina has loved taking the hardest path possible this World Cup
And on Saturday, La Albiceleste did just that
Argentina defeated Switzerland 3-1 in extra time to advance to the semifinals and set up a date with England in Atlanta on Wednesday
The Argentines got the scoring started early but did not really do much offensively after that
Both teams went back-and-forth, up-and-down the pitch, resulting in nothing until Switzerland broke through in the 67th minute on a Dan Ndoye equalizing goal
However, all momentum was halted for the Swiss after minute later, Breel Embolo was shown his second yellow card of the match, resulting in Switzerland having to finish the match down to 10 men
The Swiss defense held its own, withstanding many Argentina chances and eventually taking the reigning champions to extra time
Fast forward to the second, 15-minute extra period, when Julián Alvarez finally scored his first goal of the tournament in the 112th minute to give the Argentines the lead
The Argentines didn’t stop there
Lautaro Martinez put the cherry on the top in the 121st minute, securing the win for Argentina
The semifinals are now set with France taking on Spain on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas, while England will clash with Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday
When it comes to England vs. Argentina on a soccer field, despite many of their encounters being instant classics, is a rare thing
The irony at play is that it doesn’t tend to take place as much as fans might want because there has been bad blood both on and off the field, and so it can feel as though it’s not at the top of organizers’ highest priorities
In the 1960s, England got the better of their Argentine opponents in consecutive World Cup tournaments, with the 1-0 victory in 1966 helping the English to eventually lift the trophy for the only time in history. Argentina captain Antonio Rattín was sent off, the team thought England’s goal was offside, and then England boss Alf Ramsey later used some strong language about the Argentines, which did not endear him to the press or public
Fast forward 20 years to 1986, and the epic quarterfinal clash at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico will be remembered in the buildup as being played against the backdrop of the Falklands War, which had been fought four years previously
An inspired Diego Maradona took matters literally into his own hands in the second half, scoring the infamous “Hand of God” goal, before a sumptuous second just minutes later, which would be known as the “Goal of the Century.”
In the late 1990s, a pulsating knockout clash in the Round of 16 saw the teams share four first half goals at France 1998, including a wondergoal from a teenage Michael Owen, before his teammate David Beckham rather naively got himself sent off and England’s 10 men eventually succumbed on penalty kicks. Beckham would get a measure of revenge at the next World Cup in 2002, by scoring the penalty in regular time for a 1-0 group stage victory
And now we get a delicious semifinal in Atlanta on Wednesday
Neither side has played to the <a href="https://todaytrendnews7.com/the-best-universities-for-ai-across-six-continents/” title=”The best universities for AI across six continents”>best of their abilities thus far, but both powerhouses have been smart and savvy enough to get the job done. It’s the first matchup since a pulsating 2005 friendly ended 3-2 to England, in Geneva, Switzerland
And these fierce rivals, but foes who rarely meet, will certainly be on the mind of a certain Lionel Messi over the coming days: In his long and historic career, he’s yet to face England
England’s Jude Bellingham scores a goal on Saturday.
Writing about England in an international soccer competition has changed so much from when I first started in sports journalism
There used to be the stereotypes of lager louts and hooligans and, honestly, some of the biggest delusion when it came to the teams on the pitch. The teams were filled with genuinely very good and sometimes elite players, but they always failed to deliver in every major tournament, usually falling out in the Round of 16 or the quarterfinals of both the Euros and the World Cup
As a Spaniard in London, I can’t say I enjoyed much of what being an England fan hypothetically embodied, despite the fact I knew plenty of “sane” Three Lions fans. I must say I was also probably too busy enjoying the fruits of La Roja’s labor from 2008 to 2012 too much care
Those feelings, though, have evolved as I’ve lived in London for almost 16-and-a-half years. The city has grown on me and so has the national team
Gone were the Golden Generation days of Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney and “It’s Coming Home” being sung arrogantly. In their place came a team that had a new generation of players in unicorn pool floats and a manager who was anything but controversial in Gareth Southgate
England supporters celebrate in London.
So many years of heartbreak have softened older hearts and been all younger generations have known, so when the team made its third-ever World Cup semifinal in 2018, arrogance gave way to hope and “It’s Coming Home” became more of an ironic call to arms with still a twinge of expectation – the living personification of the “What if we… do win? Hahaha, just kidding… unless…?” meme
More years of heartbreak came with two consecutive European Championship finals losses – with a World Cup quarterfinal defeat sandwiched in between – and the team everyone loved to hate turned into the team everyone felt a bit of sympathy for
Fast forward to this World Cup and this Three Lions team. Many of the players have grown up and others have come to the fore, including quarterfinal hero Jude Bellingham, who is only 23, and the team has had a rollercoaster tournament. As Ben Church and I were chatting earlier this week, literally every game has been stressful for him
I must admit, they were stressful for me too. I still love and support Spain foremost, but have I also grown to love England?
England’s Jude Bellingham celebrates scoring a goal.
The team has a never-say-die attitude and an air about it that just feels good. I mean, this team goes and sings Oasis songs with its fans in the stadium post-wins. It provides absolute peak drama, no matter what, and features two of the best players in the sport in Harry Kane and Bellingham (whose play I very luckily get to enjoy on a frequent basis as a Real Madrid fan)
Today’s match was more of the same and I can’t get enough, despite also having rooted for Norway and its progression throughout the tournament. I found myself pumping my fist to both of Jude’s goals. I was texting Ben “LET’S GO!” right afterwards. I found myself humming “It’s Coming Home” while writing this
I’ve grown to love England and I can’t wait to see what drama comes next on Wednesday in Atlanta
Let’s just pause for a moment and admire thatgoal from Julián Alvarez that stood up as the winner
Given the skill, the technique, the moment, the timing – is that the goal of the tournament?
A reminder that FIFA’s tennis-style seeding rule meant that the top four ranked teams — Spain, Argentina, France and England — could not meet until the semifinals, provided all four won their groups
Spain and Argentina, essentially seeds one and two, ended up in opposite halves of the draw. France and England, three and four respectively, were paired in the same way. And groups were indeed won
The official party line from FIFA was all about “ensuring competitive balance,” but you have to think this couldn’t have gone any better for world football’s governing body, nor the TV networks, who get the Final Four of their dreams, and at the very audience friendly time slot of 9 p.m. CET (3 p.m. ET) this Tuesday and Wednesday
Look at what it means to them!
Argentina keeps surviving and they keep celebrating like they’ve just won the cup itself
Julian Alvarez celebrates after scoring Argentina’s second goal.
Argentina once again has pulled a rabbit out of their hats to survive another dramatic challenge, and they are through to the World Cup semifinal!
Their 3-1 win over Switzerland sets up one of the biggest rivalries in world soccer with nothing less than a trip to a World Cup final on the line: England-Argentina on Wednesday in Atlanta
Julián Alvarez’s goal was a worthy winner, though Argentina’s victory will be controversial again thanks to the sending off of Breel Embolo for a second yellow card for simulation not long after the Swiss’ second-half equalizer. Lautaro Martínez added one more late to give the scoreline a lot more padding than was really deserved
Argentina simply will not let go of the World Cup trophy that easily. Three straight massive survivals for La Albiceleste in this knockout phase of the tournament have earned them a place in the final four
With the issue no longer in doubt, Argentina players and their supporters are counting the seconds to the full-time whistle and an astounding seventh trip to the World Cup semifinals
England stands in their way with a showdown in Atlanta looming on Wednesday
Lautaro Martinez puts the game on ice after a goal in the 121st minute
Argentina now leads 3-1 and secures a date with England in the semifinals
With less than 10 minutes left and trailing once again, Switzerland will be forced to throw everything forward in a desperate attempt to tie the game
A tall task indeed playing 10 against 11
Julian Alvarez plays hero and gives Argentina the lead in the 112th minute
The 26-year-old got the ball at the top of the box and fired a rocket past Gregor Kobel for his first goal of the World Cup
Another game, another Argentina late goal to potentially give La Albiceleste a win
Argentina leads 2-1 with just over five minutes to go in the second extra period
Fifteen minutes gone, 15 left to play. And we still seek an equalizer
Now looming over proceedings: Penalties will come if no one scores in the next 15 minutes
After a short break, we’re back underway
Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister attempts a header against Switzerland’s Zeki Amdouni.
With the prospect of a penalty kick shootout looming, and playing with a 11-on-10 disadvantage, Switzerland has shifted into a purely defensive posture
The strategy is working so far, but Argentina continues to explore the Swiss perimeter, and there is still 15 more minutes of extra time to come
Argentina’s Lionel Messi runs with the ball followed by Switzerland’s Zeki Amdouni.
The world champs are circling the Switzerland goal like sharks ready to attack but they’re not quite getting what they need in the end
Lots of passes around the edge of the area but nothing quite enough just yet. Only a few minutes remaining in the opening half of extra time
Thirty more minutes to settle this quarterfinal – it all starts now
Argentina’s Rodrigo de Paul, right, controls the ball as he is chased by Switzerland’s Fabian Rieder.
After 90 minutes of play, Switzerland is exactly whey they’d likely hoped to be – headed to extra time against the favored Argentina team
After having their striker Breel Embolo sent off for a second yellow card in the 72nd minute, grinding their way to a draw because the best case scenario for the Swiss
Switzerland’s next challenge will be fending off the suddenly threatening Argentine attack for 30 more minutes in the hopes of reaching a shootout or perhaps stealing a stunner on the counterattack
Unlikely as it would have seemed 90 minutes ago, we are headed to extra time in this World Cup quarterfinal between Switzerland and Argentina!
It’s 1-1 after 90 minutes and it’ll take 30 more to settle it
For the second time in mere minutes, Lionel Messi had the chance to play hero for Argentina but his scoring chance misses just wide right
Argentina has about six minutes to find the game-winner, otherwise it is extra time in Kansas City
Argentina is swarming as they look for a winner. Nine long minutes of added time coming up here for the Swiss
