ARGENTINA DEFEATS SWITZERLAND 1- 0

Switzerland kept Lionel Messi down for a valiant 118 minutes. With two, three, even four defenders on him whenever he had the ball, Messi failed to link up with teammates, failed to take over the game as he had in the group stage, and failed to get his team on the scoreboard. With the score still knotted at 0-0 and only two minutes of extra time left, penalty kicks seemed inevitable
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Then Messi roared to life. The Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner lost the ball near midfield, and Messi, for once, found himself with space to run at the defense. He drove forward past two players to the edge of the box before feeding his chief accomplice, Angel Di Maria, on the right side. Di Maria coolly slotted the ball home into the far corner with his left foot, giving Argentina the lead at the latest possible moment. They held out during a nervy few minutes (in which Switzerland hit the post) to move on to the quarterfinal.
Considered favorites to go on to the final, Argentina hardly impressed against a well-organized Swiss team. For most of the game, Switzerland defended comfortably, while Argentina possessed the ball but seemed short of ideas, unable to create many chances. Xherdan Shaqiri, meanwhile, created several good chances for the Swiss when they did win the ball. Several misses from Swiss strikers in the first half will haunt them.
Still, Argentina’s boundless attacking talent once again carried them through. After being stifled for most of the game, Messi delivered at the most critical moment, while Di Maria finally offered Messi some help.
If Argentina had lost this game on penalties, Messi’s legacy would have been severely tarnished. Instead, he has only enhanced his legend, and he has a chance to keep going. His country expects nothing less than the title.
Argentina will next play either the United States or Belgium. Oh, you have heard a little about that game? Stay with us—the teams take the field in just over an hour, and we’ll be bringing you live coverage.