Argentina took on Switzerland today in the round of 16. Like so many other matches in the knockout stage, this game was deadlocked after 90 minutes, which meant the teams had to play on for 30 more minutes. Twenty-eight minutes in, shit got nuts.
Argentina's attacking options are legion and ridiculous, but the South Americans have struggled to score but for Lionel Messi, who's had the team on his back for most of the tournament. Today was no different. In the 118th minute, just two minutes before penalties, Messi got the ball in midfield, evaded a slide tackle, drew five defenders as he approached the Swiss goal, and laid it off to Ángel di María on the right. Di María slotted the ball home on the left to give Argentina the 1-0 lead.
That's it. Game over.
The Swiss weren't ready to go home just yet. There were three minutes of injury time in overtime, and two minutes in, the Swiss played a dead ball into the box. Substitute Blerim Džemaili skied in the six-yard-box to win a point-blank header. He missed, however, and the ball ricocheted directly off the post and then onto his knee, then back toward goal, before rolling harmlessly, tragically out of bounds.
Heartbreaking.
Argentina advance to the quarterfinal, where they'll play the winner of the AMERICA-belgium game.
[ESPN]