Argentina will face one last Cinderella in World Cup quarterfinal in KC
For a while Tuesday, it appeared that players for defending World Cup champion Argentina might shed a tear following their Round-of-16 match against Egypt.
And Argentina star Lionel Messi was seen weeping after the final whistle, but it was out of joy and relief rather than disappointment. Argentina trailed by two goals with 11 minutes to play in Atlanta, then stormed back for a stunning 3-2 victory.
Rather than pack up their base camp at Sporting Kansas City’s Compass Minerals National Performance Center, Argentina will stick around for a while longer and play another match in KC.
Saturday’s quarterfinal at Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead) will pit Argentina against Switzerland, which defeated Colombia 4-3 in a penalty shootout following a scoreless draw in Vancouver.
Switzerland is the last Cinderella in the tournament as it hasn’t made a World Cup quarterfinal since 1954. The Swiss, who have never advanced to the semifinals, will try to make history in KC. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m.
Argentina’s comeback was fueled by Messi — who else? — as he assisted on the first goal, then scored to tie the game. Argentina won it in added time at the end of the second half on Enzo Fernández’s header, holding off the Egyptian upset bid.
Messi, who missed a first-half penalty-kick attempt, cried on the field after the victory.
“When I saw Leo crying on the field,” forward Lautaro Martínez told reporters, "I told him that I cried because he deserves it.”
Argentina trailed for much of the match, the first time the team had faced a deficit at the World Cup, although it scraped by with a 3-2 win over Cape Verde after extra time in the Round of 32.
“Happiness for the qualification, it had gotten very tough,” Messi told reporters after the match. “We suffered a lot again, but this is the World Cup. All the matches are turning out like this. It was a relief for everyone, given how the match played out. But this group never gives up and fights until the end.”
“It’s crazy what this group did today.”
Switzerland’s win lacked the theatrics of Tuesday’s early match, at least for the first 120 minutes, but the penalty-kick shootout had drama. Colombia fell behind after two rounds of the shootout but tied it, only to miss on the fourth attempt, and that proved decisive.
The Swiss made amends for their last penalty-kick shootout in a World Cup. It came in 2006 in Germany when Switzerland missed all three attempts in a loss to Ukraine.
Switzerland is the lowest ranked team among the quartet still playing (No. 14, according to FIFA).
Colombia’s loss denied fans in Kansas City the opportunity to see a rematch of the 2024 Copa America final, which Argentina won 1-0 in extra time in Miami.
