Julian Alvarez & Lautaro Martinez Lead Argentina to FIFA World Cup Semifinals

Posted on July 11, 2026 by Tom Castaneda

Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez have propelled Argentina into the FIFA World Cup semifinals.

The 26-year-old and 28-year-old world-class forwards for the Argentina national team scored deep in extra time to secure a dramatic 3-1 quarterfinal win over 10-man Switzerland on Saturday, setting up a heavyweight last-four clash against England in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Lionel Messi’s Argentina side kept alive their bid to become the ‌first team to retain the World Cup since Brazil in 1962 with a victory that sparked pandemonium among the sea of sky-blue-and-white supporters and ended Switzerland’s fairytale run.

The Swiss had reached the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1954, but fell one match short of an unprecedented semifinal appearance, suffering a major blow when Breel Embolo was sent off for diving in the 72nd minute.

The thriller looked headed for a shootout before Alvarez whipped a gorgeous long-range shot into the top corner in the 112th minute that Gregor Kobel at full-stretch had no chance of saving.

Martinez added a third for the holders nine minutes later when he calmly slotted home the rebound of Thiago Almada‘s shot.

“We’re used to ⁠suffering,” Almada said. “We come from being champions and now being among the top four is not easy at all. We want to chase glory and put Argentina at the very top.”

Alexis Mac Allister had given Argentina the lead in the 10th minute, meeting Messi’s corner at the front post with a flicked header that sailed beyond Kobel and into the far corner. It was the first time Switzerland had trailed in the tournament.

But the Swiss, without injured leading scorer Johan Manzambi, who had three goals and two assists, refused to wilt.

After a largely uneventful first half, the contest burst into life as Switzerland repeatedly tested Emiliano Martinez, forcing the Argentina goalkeeper into a string of sharp saves and jolting the South American supporters into full voice.

An equalizer felt almost inevitable as the Swiss piled on the pressure, and they were rewarded in the 67th minute when Dan Ndoye exchanged passes with Ricardo Rodriguez down the left before sliding a right-footed finish through Martinez’s legs.

Ndoye snarled into the nearest television camera as the small section of Swiss fans erupted.

However, Switzerland were reduced to 10 men when Embolo got a second yellow card for simulation. It came after a lengthy VAR review for mistaken ‌identity, with ⁠the referee overturning his initial decision to caution Argentina’s Leandro Paredes.

The call left Swiss coach Murat Yakin livid.

“I know that (FIFA) will protect their referee, but this rule destroyed our game today, and it is incredibly painful,” he said. “And to be eliminated in that way hurts a lot. Unfortunately, we have to accept it.”

Embolo collapsed in tears and was consoled by teammates as he left the pitch.

“This team has so much passion. Despite the fact we were one man down, we gave it all. I’m extremely proud of everyone,” Swiss coach Murat Yakin said.

Argentina responded to Swiss misfortune by pinning them back for long periods. Cheered on by fans who made ⁠Arrowhead Stadium feel more like Buenos Aires than Kansas City, they surged forward as chants of “Vamos, vamos!” echoed around the venue.

Messi, playing in his sixth World Cup at the age of 39, nearly settled the contest in stoppage time with a fierce strike that flashed inches wide of the post.

Switzerland weathered wave after wave of pressure and appeared destined to force a shootout but their resistance was finally broken in the closing moments of ⁠extra time.

“We had to suffer a lot. We knew they were a physical team and that gave us a lot of trouble,” said Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni. “Today we had luck on our side because one of their players was sent off. We could have played better but it’s a big achievement to be in the semi-finals.”

The distraught Swiss dropped to their knees, consoling each other, while Argentina’s star-studded ⁠squad lingered on the pitch soaking up the atmosphere as Messi tugged off his shirt and twirled it above his head in front of the Argentina fans.

Wednesday’s semifinal will mark the first time England have faced Messi at a World Cup.

Lionel Messi Helps Lead Argentina into the FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals in Historic Fashion

Posted on July 7, 2026 by Tom Castaneda

Lionel Messi continues making history while leading his team onward at the FIFA World Cup.

The 39-year-old Argentine professional footballer scored in a record sixth straight World Cup knockout match to help Argentina reach the quarterfinals with a stunning late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday in Atlanta.

Egypt were leading the defending champions 2-0 heading into the closing stages before Messi provided an assist for Cristian Romero in the 79th minute and a goal of his own four minutes later to tie the score.

Just when it seemed that extra time was in the cards, Enzo Fernández headed into the net in the second minute of stoppage time to complete a remarkable turnaround at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

It was the first time in World Cup history that a team had won a knockout match in regulation time after trailing by two goals in the 75th minute.

“This is a phenomenal group that never gives up,” Fernández said. “Four years have passed since Qatar, and we’ve come to enjoy another World Cup — and we want to win it again. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

Argentina, who are bidding to become the first back-to-back World Cup champions since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday.

“I’m so emotional,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “What a group of players, brother.”

Egypt looked set to produce a stunning upset after Yasser Ibrahim‘s 15th-minute goal was added to by Mostafa Zico‘s close-range strike on the counterattack in the 67th minute. The record seven-time African champions, who made history by advancing to the round of 16 for the first time, also had a goal ruled out following video review.

Messi missed a chance to equalize in the first half when his penalty was saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. Messi also hit the post when the score was 1-0.

But he delivered the goods once again late. Messi has scored in a record nine consecutive World Cup matches dating to Argentina’s title run in 2022. Tuesday’s goal marked his 13th in that span.

“Honestly, I’m just so happy we made it through and about the way we did it,” Messi said. “Things got tough at 2-0, so it was incredibly exciting to turn it around once again. We suffered a lot, but that’s the World Cup for you: Every match is playing out the same way; everything is so evenly matched.

“But as always, this group never gives up and keeps trying until the very end.”

Messi’s eight goals at this tournament put him one clear of France‘s Kylian Mbappé and Norway‘s Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.

His goal also gave Messi a two-goal lead over Mbappé on the World Cup career leaderboard.

“Seeing him get emotional was moving too,” teammate Lautaro Martínez said of Messi’s reaction at full time. “I told him right there on the pitch to enjoy the moment because he deserved it and that we would keep giving our all for ourselves — but above all for him, since this is his last World Cup and he has given us so much.”

For much of the game, it looked as if it would be a painful exit for 39-year-old Messi in his sixth and perhaps final World Cup.

Egypt took a surprising lead in the 15th minute when Ibrahim got ahead of Lisandro Martínez to meet Marwan Attia‘s cross and head the ball into the bottom corner.

Argentina were quickly given the chance to level the match when Haissem Hassan tripped Nicolás Tagliafico in the box moments later. Referee François Letexier pointed to the penalty spot, and Messi stepped up with an expectant crowd waiting for him to score.

Shobeir had other ideas, diving to his left to block the shot for Messi’s second penalty miss of the 2026 tournament after also failing from the spot against Austria in the group stage.

Despite being the leading career scorer at World Cups, Messi has missed a record four of his eight penalty kicks at the tournament through the years.

After Messi hit the post later in the half, Shobeir pulled off another great save to stop Julián Álvarez from close range.

Egypt thought they had doubled their 1-0 lead in the second half when Zico finished off a sweeping attack. But the wild celebrations were cut short when a foul earlier in the move was confirmed on video review and the goal was disallowed.

The second goal for Egypt came in the 67th from a similar break, and this time Zico’s effort counted. It just ended up not being enough.

Mikel Merino Helps Propel Spain into the FIFA World Cup Quarterfinals

Posted on July 6, 2026 by Tom Castaneda

Mikel Merino has helped propel Spain into the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since the European nation won the global tournament in 2010.

The 30-year-old Spanish professional footballer scored a late goal on Monday to send Spain past Portugal 1-0 in the round of 16.

With the game looking like it was headed to extra time in Arlington, Texas, Ferran Torres‘ through ball led Merino into the penalty area, and he sent a shot past Diogo Costa for the winner as Spain topped their neighbors on the Iberian Peninsula.

Merino had just been knocked down, and a foul was called. While a Portugal player argued, Merino played the ball back in, ran toward the goal and put a shot past goalkeeper Costa after taking a pass from Torres.

There were some anxious moments down the stretch for Luis de la Fuente‘s side as Portugal twice came close to levelling the score, but the 2024 European Champions clung to their lead to eliminate Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo, who said Monday that this will be his last World Cup.

“Mikel Merino never lets you down. He’s a sure thing. He won us the Euros,” de la Fuente said after the game. “He’s a huge player — one of the best in the world in his position. We’re lucky to have players on the bench who would be starters in any other national team. The important thing is the attitude when they come on, and in the day to day.

“All I ask is for people to be fair in their recognition. Mikel Merino is a player with exceptional performance. He’s a player who is always where he needs to be.”

Spain will battle Belgium in the quarterfinals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

“You remember everything, all the good, all the bad, what you’ve got back at home,” Merino said after the game. “There’ve been very difficult moments for me this year, but good ones as well. With the injury, all this time that I haven’t been able to see my little one [newborn baby] grow up.

“I use it to get the best of myself.”

It was the sixth consecutive clean sheet for Spain at the World Cup, a tournament record, and goalkeeper Unai Simón extended his record shutout streak to 609 minutes.

Spain broke a tie with Italy (1990) and Switzerland (2006-10) for the most consecutive World Cup matches not allowing a goal. Spain’s streak began with a 0-0 draw in the round of 16 in 2022, when Morocco advanced after a penalty shootout.

There was also a surprising scoreless draw against Cape Verde to open group play in this tournament, followed by four consecutive shutout victories to advance to the quarterfinals.

Simón surpassed the previous record of 517 consecutive scoreless minutes during a 3-0 blanking of Austria to open the knockout round Thursday. Famed Italy goalkeeper Walter Zenga set the standard in 1990 with five consecutive clean sheets in his home World Cup.

Simón’s shutout streak started in 2022 in Qatar during a 2-1 loss to Japan to wrap up group play.

He came into the Portugal game having made only four saves in this World Cup – Austria had no shots on target – and on Monday, Simón had to make two saves in the first half against Portugal.

The second of those saves was an impressive diving stop, when he was still in midair after reaching back to grab the ball with both hands. Ronaldo took that shot after teammate José Sá’s header went off the shoulder of the 29-year-old Athletic Bilbao keeper.

Leylah Fernandez Helps Lead Canada to Country’s First-Ever Billie Jean King Cup Title

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Leylah Fernandez has helped Canada make history…

The 21-year-old half-Ecuadorian Canadian tennis player and her compatriot Marina Stakusic won their singles matches as Canada beat Italy 2-0 to claim its first-ever Billie Jean King Cup title on Sunday.

Stakusic, ranked 258th in the world, put Canada ahead by defeating No. 43 Martina Trevisan 7-5, 6-3 for the biggest win of her career, then Fernandez sealed the victory by beating Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-3 at La Cartuja Stadium.

The 20th-ranked Fernandez, runner-up in the 2021 US Open, was perfect for Canada in Seville with four victories, while the 18-year-old Stakusic entered the tournament without a win over a top-100 opponent but earned three of them while representing her nation in Spain.

“I’m so happy and honored that I could play this week,” Stakusic, who didn’t play a WTA main draw match this year, said on court. “This has been the best week of my life.”

Canada defeated 11-time champion Czech Republic in the semifinals, while four-time champion Italy advanced past Slovenia for its first final appearance since 2013.

The 12-team BJK Cup Finals offered a record total of $9.6 million in prize money, including $2.4 million to the champions, the same as the men’s Davis Cup.

Canada, captained by Heidi El Tabakh, is the 13th nation to win the Billie Jean King Cup and the second new champion after Switzerland‘s triumph in Glasgow a year ago.

“I don’t know what to say,” El Tabakh said. “I’m so proud of this team. These girls are incredible. It’s a dream come true.”

The Canada men’s team is the current Davis Cup champion.

The women’s teams competed in four round-robin groups, with the winners advancing to the semifinals. The United States was eliminated by the Czech Republic in a group that also included title-holder Switzerland.

The biggest team competition in women’s tennis started two days after the end of the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico, which featured the top eight players on the tour — including winner Iga Swiatek.

Aitana Bonmati Scores Two Goals to Help Lead Spain to Women’s World Cup Quarterfinals for First Time

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Aitana Bonmati has pulled a double…

The 25-year-old Spanish professional footballer helped Spain reach the quarterfinals of the Women’s World Cup for the first time by scoring two goals.

Overall, Spain produced an excellent display of firepower to thrash Switzerland 5-1 on Saturday.

“I think it’s in my character to act (like a leader). Even though I don’t have the captain’s armband I transmit that character to the team,” she said after picking up another player of the match award at the World Cup.

“When I have the ball at my feet I always look to help my teammates… We’re very happy and we should be proud of the work we’ve done today.”

Bonmati opened the scoring in the fifth minute when she pounced on a rebound, wrong-footed the goalkeeper with a swift turn and fired home, vindication and delight writ large on her face.

Half an hour later, she grabbed her second — almost a carbon copy of the first as she left Swiss players befuddled.

A quick flick in the box saw two defenders over-commit as she turned them inside out while the goalkeeper was sent the wrong way for Bonmati to fire into an open net.

It comes as no surprise that her close-quarter dribbling and sublime passing ability to create chances earned her comparisons with Spain and Barca great Andres Iniesta.

For Bonmati, there is no higher praise as she shines a spotlight on the ‘Barca Way’ having watched her idol while growing up, eyes glued to the TV “with my mouth open” as Pep Guardiola’s team conquered Spain, Europe and finally the world.

“I’m so proud when people compare me to Iniesta, what a player. They were the two I watched: Xavi and Iniesta,” she told FIFA in an interview earlier this week.

“They played the game in a way that I try and emulate. It was lovely football to watch, fun and beautiful.”

Spain will next face the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

Messi Receives FIFA’s Golden Ball Award After This Year’s World Cup

Posted on July 14, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Despite a heartbreaking loss in the World Cup final, Lionel Messi is still a golden boy.

The soccer star and captain of the Argentina national team was awarded FIFA‘s Golden Ball award as the best player of the FIFA World Cup after leading his team to Sunday’s final.

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who kept a clean sheet as his side beat Argentina 1-0 in extra time at the Maracana to claim their fourth World Cup, was awarded the Golden Gloves as the tournament’s top keeper.

“It is a sad prize that I won because we wanted to lift the trophy for Argentina,” Messi said of his consolation prize, as if the look on his face had not already said it all.

Four-times World Player of the Year Messi had a quiet game by his standards on Sunday but was the driving force behind Argentina’s push to their first World Cup final since 1990.

He scored four of their six goals in the group stage, set up Angel di Maria‘s winner in the last 16 against Switzerland and shouldered the burden of slotting home Argentina’s first penalty in their shootout win over the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

Messi also won four successive man-of-the-match awards against Bosnia, Iran, Argentina and Switzerland.

While some pundits thought Messi looked jaded after the group stage and did not influence his team as much, Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella said he was a deserving winner.

“I think Lionel reached the pantheon of the greats a while back,” Sabella told reporters. “Yes, I think he deserved it. He played a great World Cup to get us where he did.

“I think it’s very deserved.”

Germany forward Thomas Mueller was runner-up to Messi and Netherlands winger Arjen Robben was third.

France midfielder Paul Pogba was named young player of the tournament, while Colombia took the Fair Play Award after receiving just five yellow cards in five matches in Brazil.

FIFA also praised their positive play and the behavior of their players and officials.

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