Argentina manager praises his players after extra-time victory over Switzerland and looks ahead to a semi-final showdown with England.

Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has vowed that his side will “give every last drop of sweat” in its bid to retain the FIFA World Cup after securing a hard-fought 3-1 extra-time victory over Switzerland to reach the semi-finals.

The reigning world champions overcame determined Swiss resistance at Kansas City Stadium on Saturday, with Alexis Mac Allister opening the scoring before Dan Ndoye equalised in the second half. Switzerland’s task became more difficult after Breel Embolo was sent off, allowing Julián Álvarez and Lautaro Martínez to strike in extra time and send Argentina into the last four.

The victory marks Argentina’s fifth consecutive appearance in the semi-finals of a major international tournament, a remarkable run stretching back to the 2019 Copa América.

Scaloni Hails Remarkable Achievement

Reflecting on the achievement, Scaloni praised his players for maintaining Argentina’s consistency on the international stage.

“Five tournaments and five semi-finals,” Scaloni said after the match. “I hadn’t thought about it, but it is something we should be happy about. Without these players, it wouldn’t be possible.”

He added that reaching another World Cup semi-final was a significant accomplishment but insisted the team remained focused on the ultimate prize.

“It is incredible to reach a semi-final and occupy such a privileged place in football. We should be satisfied and remain hopeful until the end, giving every last drop of sweat. If we achieve it, great. If we don’t, we will have given everything.”

Switzerland Tested Argentina

After cruising through the group stage with three successive victories, Argentina has faced increasingly difficult challenges in the knockout rounds.

The defending champions required extra time to overcome Cabo Verde before staging a comeback from two goals down to defeat Egypt in the round of 16. Switzerland again pushed Argentina to the limit, forcing Scaloni’s side to rely on extra time to secure victory.

The Argentine coach admitted his team had fallen short of its usual standards but praised Switzerland for producing a disciplined performance.

“It is possible that we weren’t at our best today,” he said. “It was a complicated match. We tried to play our way, but it wasn’t possible.”

He continued: “You have to congratulate Switzerland. I am happy with the team’s performance, but it reinforces that we have to keep working and improving.”

Desire Proved Decisive

Scaloni acknowledged that Switzerland successfully disrupted Argentina’s rhythm and prevented his side from dominating possession as they normally would.

“We perhaps didn’t play the way we wanted, but we showed other qualities and that is worth highlighting,” he said.

“We won because of our ambition and our desire to avoid penalties, because Switzerland has players who could have made things complicated.”

He added that the coaching staff would analyse why Argentina struggled to control the game.

“We won because of our desire, not because of the way we were playing. We weren’t able to keep the ball and we want to understand why. We’ll analyse that later.”

Semi-final Against England

Argentina will now face England in Wednesday’s World Cup semi-final in Atlanta, with a place in the final at stake.

Despite the historic rivalry between the two nations, including their memorable encounters on the World Cup stage, Scaloni dismissed suggestions that the occasion carried any significance beyond football.

“It is a football match,” he said. “We aren’t looking for anything else.”

The Argentina manager also praised England and their coaching staff, adding: “England is a good team with a great manager whom I admire a lot. But it is a game of football. There is nothing more to it than that.”