Overview
- Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra time in Kansas City to reach the World Cup semi-finals thanks to an Alexis Mac Allister opener, a Julian Álvarez spectacular winner in extra time, and a late Lautaro Martínez goal.
- The match turned when VAR used the mistaken-identity protocol to rescind a yellow shown to Leandro Paredes and instead book Breel Embolo for simulation, giving Switzerland a second yellow and reducing them to 10 men.
- England advanced the same day with a 2-1 extra-time win over Norway, courtesy of two goals from Jude Bellingham, and will face Argentina in Atlanta on Wednesday, July 15 for a place in the final.
- The Argentine Football Association said it detected possible unauthorised sending from an institutional email account and is investigating after Argentine outlets reported alleged mass messages; claims of an Egyptian-origin hack remain unverified.
- FIFA’s refereeing chief has publicly defended match officials, but the tournament’s wider use of new VAR protocols and tracking technology has produced repeated late interventions that are drawing sustained scrutiny and calls for greater transparency.