The match was only 10 minutes in when Messi — who required assistance from a medic after taking a hit near his right eye in the second half — showcased his skill to earn a corner kick. From that moment, the Inter Miami star sent a precise ball into the box, where Alexis Mac Allister headed it in for a 1-0 lead.
Switzerland equalized in the 67th minute, sending the game into extra time. However, Julian Alvarez scored a spectacular goal into the upper corner in the 112th minute, and Lautaro Martinez sealed the win with a final goal for the defending champions.
Argentina is set to face England in the semifinals on Wednesday in Atlanta.
One of the first questions directed at Swiss coach Murat Yakin before the match was about how to contain Messi, who had netted in his last nine World Cup appearances, including six in the knockout stage. He also holds the tournament record with 21 career goals.
“This is a very surprising question,” Yakin humorously responded. “There are many solutions, and we will try to find the best one… We can discuss it a lot, but ultimately it has to materialize on the pitch, and we do have our strategies.” In reality, the Swiss did a commendable job of limiting the prolific scorer.
Messi began his World Cup journey in the same venue just over three weeks prior, scoring his first-ever hat trick in the tournament to lead Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Algeria. He has since netted eight goals as his team advanced to the quarterfinals.
However, not all has gone smoothly for Messi during the World Cup. He missed penalty kicks against both Austria and Egypt, and the second miss could have been particularly damaging as Argentina found themselves in a 2-0 deficit.
Nonetheless, Messi also played a crucial role in getting Argentina on the board in the 79th minute, assisting on Cristian Romero’s header, and then he leveled the score against Egypt just four minutes later by beating goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.
Enzo Fernandez ultimately scored the winning goal in stoppage time to secure Argentina’s place against Switzerland.
“He’s like a machine,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni commented on Messi, whose every World Cup appearance could be his last donning the national team jersey. “Those less familiar with him might be astonished, and some may doubt that he can rise to the occasion at 39. But I’ve stated this before: as long as he strives to be the best — and I’m not merely saying this because I coach him — he will continue to be at the top.”
