Argentina talisman Lionel Messi was thrilled to have helped his team qualify for the semi-finals of FIFA World Cup 2026.
Once again, like their round of 32 math against Cabo Verde and round of 16 clash against Egypt, the Albiceleste were made to work hard in their quarter-final against Switzerland at the Kansas City Stadium on Saturday.
Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring for the defending champions in the 10th minute, and went into half-time on the back of a 1-0 lead. However, Switzerland kept fighting back, and they got the equaliser in the 67th minute through a goal from Dan Ndoye.
Lionel Messi reacts to Argentina's win over Switzerland
The match ended 1-1 at full time and extra time then followed. Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez then netted goals in extra time to hand Argentina a 3-1 win over Switzerland and set-up a semi-final clash against England. "We had to suffer again, but this team never stops believing,” the 39-year-old said on Instagram.
“We’re back among the top four in the world! Let’s go!," he added. Lionel Messi may not have scored in the quarter-final against Switzerland, but he is certainly having a memorable FIFA World Cup campaign.
The Inter Miami star is among the contenders for the Golden Boot, with eight goals so far. That is the same number of goals as France's Kylian Mbappe, but Jude Bellingham (Six goals), Harry Kane (Six) and Ousmane Dembele (Five) are right behind the duo.
During the group stage of the FIFA World Cup, the former Barcelona star also broke the record for most goals in FIFA World Cup history, breaking the record of Germany legend Miroslav Klose. Messi currently has 21 FIFA World Cup goals, with Kylian Mbappe behind him with 20 goals.
After the match, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni said that suffering was part of the team’s DNA.
"We knew that we were going to suffer, and this is part of our blood, this is part of our DNA, and this brings peace of mind," Scaloni said. "In Qatar, we were not that experienced, I myself included, and those kind of situations were very difficult," he added.
"However, now we are more experienced because we know what it feels like to be dominated by the opponent, to concede an equaliser, so today we kept our composure. The team knew how to remain calm and, of course, we will never give up," the 48-year-old explained.
