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For the second time in the tournament, Argentina left it late to secure victory and this time it was Angel di Maria and not Messi, who scored the winner. Just when it looked as though the game was going to penalties, Argentina scored to bok their place in the quarter-final.Here are the five major talking points from the game.
#1 Final flourish to an otherwise cagey affair
For 115 minutes, it looked as though this game was heading for just one result- penalties. With Argentina struggling to break down the disciplined Swiss defence and the Swiss not too eager to go forward and score the goal that might win them the game, the game turned into a chess end-game with neither side looking like winning it in extra-time.
It looked as though we were heading for the third penalty shootout of this tournament. But just as it has been in the tournament so far, a late goal was enough to seal the deal.
Argentina displayed a parable of patience before they eventually got their goal. But that wasn’t the end of the game, as the final five minutes saw plenty of action, which more than made up for the previous 115 minutes.
Whether it was Swiss hitting the post or Di Maria missing an open goal from near the halfway lime, all of the action was condensed into one final flourish that made the previous 115 minutes look like it was a game played between two different sides.
#2 Swiss faded as an attacking force as the game went on
Before the start of the game, a lot of people predicted that the experienced Hitzfeld would send his side out to be solid initially and then go for the kill late on. But what transpired was completely the opposite.
Although the opening half was a largely tight affair with the South Americans enjoying the bulk of the possession, it was the Swiss who had the half’s best chances.
Their failure to take them meant that as the game wore on, they dropped back deeper and deeper. By the time the whistle blew for the end of normal time, Switzerland had camped back near the edge of their box, almost willing Argentina to break down.
The only other time, they even looked like scoring was after Argentina scored, when they hit the post. In the end, their decision to drop deep worked against them as they went out of the tournament.
#3 Lucky Argentina are through to the quarter-final
After the win over Switzerland, Messi said: "We had luck on our side. We have to take advantage of that and move on."
For all the preparation, hard work and effort put into training, sometimes a slice of luck is all that it takes to win a football match. And that certainly proved to be the case for Argentina against Switzerland.
Had Drmic taken his chance in the first half when he was sent through on goal or Xhaka been more clinical, La Nati might just have gone into the break with the lead.
Unfortunately for the Swiss that didn’t happen and just when they looked like taking the game to penalties, a mistake by Lichtsteiner cost them the game. Even after that, Dzemaili hit the post and the ball ricocheted off his knee and went out for a goal kick.
Although Argentina have been far from convincing so far, they certainly seem to have luck on their side. Those are exactly the sort of things you need on your side if you want to win the World Cup. And so far, Argentina have had it and that might just help them inch closer to their third World Cup crown.
#4 Hitzfelds plan almost worked to perfection
Before the start of the game, Swiss coach Hitzfeld said that his side had prepared for Lionel Messi. How anyone can stop Messi in full flow is debatable, but against Argentina, the Swiss showed one way of stopping him. While double and triple marking him might work, it does leave other players open.
Instead of marking him, what the Swiss did really well was close down the spaces. Whether it was Messi or Di Maria, they ensured that the attacker didn’t have an easy way out. By making the attacker do something special, the Swiss ensured that the Argentineans had to work hard for everything that they created.
#5 Argentina still have a long way to go to win the World Cup
Argentina haven’t really looked defensively solid so far and in the quarter-final, will be without arguably their best defender in Marcos Rojo who is suspended after having picked up his second yellow of the tournament. The injury to Sergio Aguero and the worrying form of Gonzalo Higuain means that they don’t really have that much of a strike force as well.
The only reason they are in the quarters is thanks to the magic of Messrs Messi and Di Maria, who have been their two best players so far. If they are to even have a chance of winning the World Cup, the rest of the squad has to chip in and share the burden of creativity.
For if they encounter another well-drilled defence like the Swiss, they might not always be to count upon those two and the rest will have to step up to the plate.
