Lionel Messi didn’t find the net for the first time this World Cup. Argentina still won 3-1. That might be the scariest thing about this team.
On Friday, Argentina survived a scrappy, red-card-fueled quarterfinal against Switzerland in extra time. Julian Alvarez scored in the 112th minute. Lautaro Martinez buried one in the 121st. The Swiss had played a man down since the 72nd minute after Breel Embolo got sent off, yet they still forced the extra period. That says something about Argentina’s vulnerabilities. But it also says something about their guts.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring early off a Messi corner. Argentina looked in control. Then Dan Ndoye equalized in the 67th minute, and suddenly Switzerland had life. Embolo’s red card should have killed the game. It didn’t. Switzerland sat deep, defended like hell, and dragged Argentina into extra time. But fitness and depth won out. Alvarez and Martinez put it away late.
After the match, Messi posted on Instagram. The caption was short and, well, not exactly PG: “Again it suffered but this team never stops believing. We’re in the top four in the world again!!! let’s f**king go.”
He’s not wrong. Argentina has reached the semis in 2014 and 2022. They won both times. Now they face England on Wednesday for a spot in the final. No pressure.
Golden Boot Race is Tight
Even without a goal in this one, Messi is still very much in the Golden Boot conversation. He and Kylian Mbappe both have eight goals. The tiebreaker is assists, and Mbappe’s got three to Messi’s one. Erling Haaland got knocked out earlier Friday and finished with seven goals, so he’s out of it. It’s basically a two-man race now between the two biggest stars in the sport.
Messi’s lack of a goal here wasn’t for lack of trying. He created chances, put balls into dangerous areas, drew defenders. Switzerland just threw bodies at him every time he touched the ball. It worked for about 110 minutes.
What England Means for Argentina
England is no joke. They’ve been solid defensively and clinical in attack. But Argentina has something that doesn’t always show up in the stats — a weird, stubborn belief that they’ll find a way. Messi said it himself: this team never stops believing. That’s the kind of thing that sounds like a cliché until you watch them do it. Alvarez coming off the bench to score in extra time, Martinez doing the same. That’s not luck. That’s a squad that stays ready.
Wednesday will be the test. Win and they’re back in the final. Lose and it’s all over. For Messi, at 38, this might be his last real shot. Not that anyone’s saying that out loud.
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