Scaloni says Argentina ‘suffered’ in Swiss victory
The coach of the Argentina national team Lionel Scaloni has said that his team had to suffer and also benefitted from luck in their 3-1 quarterfinal win over Switzerland.
Scaloni who made the comments moments after the match added that though they were able to secure victory in the encounter, there are still some aspects of the game that they need to improve upon.
He said; “We had to suffer a lot but we knew they were a physical team… today we had luck on our side because one of their players was sent off.”
Argentina player Thiago Almada also reiterated the fact that his team is used to suffering as they chase glory to put their country at the very top.
“We’re used to suffering,” Almada said. “We come from being champions and now being among the top four is not easy at all. We want to chase glory and put Argentina at the very top.”
Liverpool midfielder Alex McAllister broke the deadlock in the 10th minute of the game played at the Kansas City Stadium after heading in a corner floated in by Lionel Messi.
After conceding the first goal, the Swiss national team did all they could to get an equaliser and their efforts paid off in the 67th minute of the second half when Dan Ndoye leveled scores after connecting a through pass from Ricardo Rodriguez.
Argentina took advantage game in the 76th minute when Swiss forward Breel Embolo was sent off after collecting a second yellow card for simulation forcing the opponents to deploy a low block.
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The game went into extra time and it was Argentina that took the lead again in the 112th minute when Julian Alvarez unleashed a 25-yard belter to give his team a 2-1 advantage.
Lautaro Martinez put the icing on the cake deep into stoppage time (121 minute) when he turned in a rebound after Thiago Almada’s initial shot was saved by the Swiss goalkeeper to end the game 3-1.
Argentina will now square up against old rivals, England, in a massive semi-final clash scheduled for Wednesday, 15 July 2026, in Atlanta.
Key match statistics: Argentina Vs Switzerland
Possession: Argentina 59% | 41% Switzerland
Total Shots: Argentina 23 | 13 Switzerland
Shots on Goal: Argentina 7 | 5 Switzerland
Passing Accuracy: Argentina 89% | 84% Switzerland
Fouls Committed: Argentina 14 | 18 Switzerland
Yellow Cards: Argentina 3 | 1 Switzerland
Red Cards: Argentina 0 | 1 Switzerland
Saves: Argentina 4 | 4 Switzerland
