Argentina will play England for a spot in the World Cup final after Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez's extra-time goals earned a 3-1 win over 10-man Switzerland. 

Alexis Mac Allister had given Argentina an early lead before Dan Ndoye hauled his team level just before the hour, only for Switzerland to see Breel Embolo sent off for simulation.

Switzerland defended stoutly to force extra time, and just when penalties were looming, Alvarez and Martinez struck twice in nine minutes to send Argentina into the semi-finals. 

Having flicked a headed effort just wide moments earlier, Mac Allister put Argentina in front in the 10th minute when he glanced Lionel Messi's teasing corner from the left-hand side past Gregor Kobel and into the bottom-right corner.

It was the first time Switzerland had gone behind in this World Cup cycle, including both qualifiers and at the tournament, and they quickly tried to get themselves level, but Djibril Sow saw his shot from distance gathered by Emiliano Martinez. 

Switzerland began the second half brightly but were unable to find a way past Martinez, with Embolo and Ndoye seeing their headed efforts pushed to safety before Granit Xhaka's left-footed drive was collected at the second attempt. 

But Switzerland's persistence prevailed in the 67th minute when Ndoye combined with Ricardo Rodriguez down the left and placed the ball under the legs of Martinez, though their joy quickly turned to despair five minutes later.

Having already been booked in the first half for a foul on Leandro Paredes just before the break, Embolo was sent off for simulation after diving under the challenge from the same Argentine midfielder, with the decision given after a VAR review. 

Mac Allister came close to heading in a late winner in normal time but could not hit the target after good work from Nico Gonzalez before Messi worked the ball onto his right foot and bent an attempt narrowly wide, with extra time needed. 

Both sides struggled to test either goalkeeper until Messi's shot was parried by Kobel, with the play kept alive and resulting in Argentina taking the lead. Gonzalez picked out Jose Manuel Lopez, who laid the ball off for Alvarez to curl a sumptuous effort into the top-right corner.

However, Argentina were not done there. In Switzerland's desperate attempt for an equaliser, Xhaka was dispossessed by Alvarez, but Thiago Almada was denied by Kobel, only for the rebound to fall kindly for Martinez to seal another dramatic victory. 

Lionel Scaloni's side will now face England, who also needed extra time to beat Norway, on July 15.

Alvarez lands another knockout blow as Embolo's red card proves costly

Having netted in nine consecutive games at the World Cup, Messi's scoring run came to an end here, but he still made an impact. He has now recorded 10 World Cup assists, two more than any other player since 1966 (Diego Maradona has eight).

Mac Allister's 10th-minute goal is the earliest Argentina has scored in a World Cup match since Gonzalo Higuain's eighth-minute strike against Belgium in the 2014 quarter-final, though Switzerland responded brightly through Ndoye. 

However, the tables were turned when Embolo was dismissed for an avoidable second booking. He is the fourth player since 1966 to receive a second yellow card for simulation and the first since 2006 (Asamoah Gyan for Ghana against Brazil), and it proved costly for his team. 

And though they could not get the job done in 90 minutes, Argentina would have been confident of getting themselves over the line. This was their 13th match to go to extra time at the World Cup, more than any other team, and Alvarez's late heroics improved their record in such matches to 11 victories. 

Alvarez chose the right time to score his first World Cup goal since he netted a brace in the semi-finals of the 2022 tournament in Qatar, too. Four of the in-demand Atletico Madrid forward's five goals in the competition have now been scored in the knockout rounds. 

For Switzerland, it was a familiar fate against Argentina. The last time they squared off at the World Cup was in the 2014 round of 16, with Argentina also winning 1-0 after extra time thanks to Angel Di Maria's goal in the 118th minute.