The Argentina forward José López said he and his teammates will “leave our lives on the field” in what will be a tantalising World Cup semi-final against England. Argentina booked their place in the last four with a 3-1 win against Switzerland and it means one of football’s most glamorous, highly charged fixtures will take place for the first time since 2005.
- Lionel Scaloni downplayed the rivalry, urging focus on the match and the upcoming semi-final rather than historical baggage.
- Lionel Scaloni called reaching the semi-final "historic" and vowed his squad would push to the end with every last drop of sweat.
- José López came off the bench to provide the assist for Julián Álvarez; Lautaro Martínez later sealed the win.
- Murat Yakin criticised the second booking of Embolo, blaming the VAR "mistaken identity" intervention after Leandro Paredes's yellow card.
- Murat Yakin said Switzerland deserved to reach the semi-finals and expressed pride in his team's tournament performance despite elimination.
López had played a bit-part role in this tournament until emerging from the bench and providing the pass from which Julián Álvarez scored in the second half of extra time. Lautaro Martínez sealed the win later to set the stage for a tumultuous clash in Atlanta on Wednesday.
“Obviously inside and outside the four lines of the pitch it’s a match that has a lot of history there, a lot of pain and a lot of things behind it,” López said. “I think we are professionals and we’re going to play it like we play every game: until the last second, leaving our lives on the field.”
The Argentina head coach, Lionel Scaloni, preferred to focus on another last-four spot, and a huge step towards retaining the trophy. “What this team has achieved is historic, even though we could have played better. It’s historic to be in a semi-final again,” he said. “It’s a privileged space in football, not an easy feat. We’re happy and excited now, and we will try to make it to the end with every last drop of sweat.”
The Switzerland head coach, Murat Yakin, was angered by the second booking given to Embolo, which was awarded for simulation after Leandro Paredes was initially handed a yellow card for fouling him. Had Paredes not received that caution, the video assistant referee could not have intervened to erase it and punish Embolo instead under the “mistaken identity” rule.
“There was definitely no reason to award that yellow card [to Paredes], I don’t understand it,” Yakin said. “It was a harmless situation. I don’t understand why the decision was made and our player was sent off.
“This rule destroyed our game today. I think it is extremely hurtful. We are not going to go to the semi-finals but I think we deserved to be there. To be eliminated that way hurts a lot but I can tell you we are very proud of our performance in this tournament.”
