Lionel Messi faces Breel Embolo
* We’re up against the defending champions, which is a unique opportunity
* At the same time, we’ve realised that Argentina are not invincible. It should be an interesting match from a tactical point of view
Maravi Express
After two gruelling knockout contests, defined by controversies more than goals, Argentina enter the business end of FIFA World Cup™ 2026 — and Switzerland coach Murat Yakin believes Argentina are not invincible’.
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What started out as a confident campaign for the three time world champions (1978, 1986, and 2022), has slowly turned into a shaky title defence.
Tournament debutants Cape Verde – the smallest nation to play in the World Cup knockouts – gave Argentina a-wake-up-call, forcing the reigning champions to dig deep for victory.
The Argentinian suffering continued in the next game, where they trailed 2-0 against Egypt before turning it around in stoppage time – in a contest where the opposition accused the referee of favouring-the-title-holders.
Referee François Letexier arguing with Egypt bench in the match against Argentina
These performances have pushed Argentina down to fourth in the pecking order of the favourites, while they’ve also slipped from the top spot to number two in the FIFA rankings.
It has instilled the belief in the Swiss camp that beating Argentina is not out of reach, and Switzerland coach Yakin said: “We’re up against the defending champions, which is a unique opportunity.
“At the same time, we’ve realised that Argentina are not invincible. It should be an interesting match from a tactical point of view.”
The reigning champions outclassed most title contenders in the group stage, thanks to the unstoppable striking force of Lionel Messi.
But their unconvincing, stuttering run in the knockout phase – where they were pitted against far inferior opponents – has raised a question: Can Argentina really retain their title?
If Lionel Messi scores against Switzerland, he will regain the lead in the Golden Boot race
Up next for the two-time world champions is Switzerland, who have quietly made a remarkable return to the quarterfinals for the first time in 72 years.
The impressive duo of Breel Embolo and Johan Manzambi has won Swiss hearts, and tonight’s clash offers them a chance to seek revenge for a World Cup defeat by Argentina in 2014.
Argentina had a strong showing in the first round, topping Group J by beating Austria, Jordan and Algeria and in the Round of 32, they were pushed to their limits by Cape Verde before squeezing past 3-2 in extra time.
They came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in the controversial last-16 contest which drew allegations of officiating bias.
Switzerland topped Group B with an unbeaten record, winning against Canada and Bosnia & Herzegovina, and drawing with Qatar — before beat Algeria 2-0 in the round of 32.
They reached the quarterfinals for the first time in 72 years by beating Colombia 4-3 on penalties.
Can ageing Messi keep up with the demands of the World Cup?
At 39, when most players’ careers are long behind them, Messi is proving that age is just a number.
In his sixth and possibly last FIFA World Cup, Messi has maintained a perfect record, scoring in each of Argentina’s five matches so far.
His eight goals keep him second in the Golden Boot race, only behind France’s Kylian Mbappe, who has also scored eight goals but has played a game more, on account of assists.
Although no longer at his athletic peak, Messi is still very much carrying the burden of the goal-scoring duties for his national team – and rescued them from early elimination in the Round of 16 with a goal and assist.
In a rare show of emotion, he even broke down after that game, saying he was desperate for his World Cup journey to continue.
But after his own admission of fatigue after playing 120 minutes against Cape Verde and pushing hard against a resilient Egypt, Messi’s ageing body is fighting to keep up with the gruelling demands of tournament football.
As the stakes get higher and the margins for error reduce, it begs the question: Will age finally catch up with him?—Reporting by Al Jazeera; editing by Maravi Express
Knockout stages results
Round of 32
* South Africa 0-1 Canada
* Jordan 1-3 Argentina
* Brazil 2-1 Japan
* Germany 1(3)-1(4) Paraguay
* Netherlands 1(2)-1(3) Morocco
* Côte d’Ivoire 1-2 Norway
* France 3-0 Sweden
* Mexico 2-0 Ecuador
* England 1-2 DR Congo
* Belgium 3-2 Senegal
* USA 2-0 Bosnia & Herzegovina
* Spain 3-0 Austria
* Portugal 2-1 Croatia
* Switzerland 2-0 Algeria
* Australia 1(2)-1(4) Egypt
* Argentina 3-2 Cape Verde
* Colombia 1-0 Ghana
Round of 16
* Canada 0-3 Morocco
* Paraguay 0-1 France
* Brazil 1-2 Norway
* Mexico 2-3 England
* Portugal 0-1 Spain
* USA 1-4 Belgium
* Argentina 3-2 Egypt
* Switzerland 0(4)-0(3) Colombia
Quarterfinals
* Morocco 0-2 France
Belgium 1-2 Spain
Today
* Norway v England (23h00)
* Argentina v Switzerland (03h00)
Semifinals
Tuesday, July 14
France v Spain
Wednesday, July 15
* Norway/England v Argentina/Switzerland