Rusty Argentina look to Lionel Messi for inspiration in their quarter-final clash with Switzerland
The knockout stages were not kind to Argentina. After surviving two tough tests against Cape Verde and Egypt, Lionel Scaloni’s side now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The defending world champions are still alive, but just barely. First came Cape Verde, where Argentina needed extra time to break through after underestimating the African side. Then came Egypt, where Scaloni’s men spent nearly 80 minutes without ideas before producing a characteristic late surge to overcome a two-goal deficit to grab a dramatic 3-2 win.
One has to wonder why Argentina made life so complicated.
The answer may lie in the way they approached the knockout rounds.
Argentina tried to make Lionel Messi the focal point of almost every attack. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when you have arguably the greatest footballer of all time in your side. But football never worked like that.
ARGENTINE FIGHTS ON THE WORLD’S FAIRY TALK
The side that won the 2022 World Cup did not become champions because Messi touched the ball every minute. They became champions because everyone around him was constantly moving. Julian Alvarez was constantly running down the left channel, Alexis Mac Allister was attacking spaces, Rodrigo De Paul was carrying the ball through midfield, allowing Messi to choose his moments rather than create every one.
This Argentina side looked different.
All too often, attacks with the ball ended up at Messi’s boots and everyone else was waiting for him to do something extraordinary. And to his credit, he usually does.
The 39-year-old already has eight goals in this World Cup. Against Egypt, he saved Argentina again when he scored the equalizer before Enzo Fernandez netted the winner in stoppage time.
But asking Messi to save you in every knockout game is not a sustainable strategy.
Switzerland is unlikely to be so forgiving.
The Swiss have quietly built one of the best defensive records of the tournament, conceding just four goals in five matches. They scored one goal in each of their three matches in the group stage and did not concede a single goal in the knockout rounds, eliminating Colombia on penalties in the round of 16.
Captain Granit Xhaka knows that stopping Messi completely is almost impossible.
“I don’t know that we can stop him for 90 minutes. It will be difficult,” Xhaka said.
“But we have to be smart, compact, close the gaps and not give him too much space. We just try to play our game.”
This is exactly where this game could be decided.
If Switzerland manage to oust Messi, who will start for Argentina?
WILL ARGENTINA MAKE CHANGES?
Maybe this is the game where Scaloni finally injects some pace down the right through Giuliano Simeone. Argentina looked predictable in wide areas and Simeone’s direct running could force Switzerland’s compact back line to expand.
Then there’s Julian Alvarez. One of Argentina’s signature moves in their 2022 triumph was releasing Alvarez down the left channel. They have barely returned to that pattern this World Cup, relying instead on Messi to unlock a packed defence.
Against a side as disciplined as Switzerland, this approach may not be enough.
Even advancing to the quarterfinals was not without controversy.
Argentina’s comeback win over Egypt was followed by accusations from the Egyptian camp that the referee’s decision favored the defending champions because the tournament organizers wanted Messi to progress deeper into the tournament. Argentina stayed away from the noise.
“It wasn’t easy to come back from a 2-0 deficit in a World Cup knockout match, especially with the way games are going these days, when nobody gives you anything for free,” Messi said after the win.
“But thank God we made it one more time.
Meanwhile, Scaloni continues to marvel at his captain.
“They try again and again and I get goosebumps,” the Argentina coach said.
The problem for Argentina is that they cannot rely on goosebump moments.
They have already escaped twice in the elimination rounds. Switzerland have conceded just four goals in five games and will almost certainly present their toughest defensive test of the tournament.
Messi will have his moments as always.
The question is whether Argentina can finally show they have enough inspiration beyond their captain. If they fail to do so, their World Cup defense may not survive another scare.
ARGENTINA vs. SWITZERLAND: ESTIMATED START OF XI
Argentina:
Martinez, Molina, Romero, Lisandro, Tagliafico, De Paul, Enzo, Paredes, Mac Allister, Messi, Lautaro/Alvarez
Switzerland:
Kobel, Zakaria, Akanji, Elvedi, Rodriguez, Xhaka, Fruler, Ndoye, Rieder, Vargas, Embolo
ARGENTINA vs SWITZERLAND: TV & STREAMING GUIDE
Kick-off: 6:30 am IST (July 12)
Venue: Kansas City Stadium, Kansas
Live Broadcast (India): ZEE5 App and Website
Telecast (India): DD Sports and Unite8 Sports
Football World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | football news
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
11 Jul 2026 20:03 IST