Switzerland were not supposed to take this to extra time. They did, and for twenty-two minutes they made Argentina genuinely uncomfortable before the world champions found the decisive blow they always looked capable of delivering.
Alexis Mac Allister settled the nerves inside ten minutes, converting after a Messi assist to give Scaloni's side the lead their early possession deserved. Argentina had 59 per cent of the ball across the 120 minutes and completed 615 of 692 attempted passes; the foundations of the victory were control and the quiet authority of Lionel Messi pulling the strings from deep. Switzerland's expected goals figure of 0.53 tells the story of how rarely they created anything meaningful in open play. Argentina, by contrast, registered 22 shots, seven of which were on target, and their expected goals figure of 1.98 reflected a team that simply did the right things in the right areas, often enough.
Yet Switzerland equalised, and through a moment of genuine quality. Dan Ndoye converted from a Ricardo Rodríguez assist on 67 minutes to peg the score back to 1-1. Five minutes later, Breel Embolo received a second yellow card and left Switzerland with ten men for the rest of the contest. Murat Yakin's side reorganised, compressed the space, and held on through the final eighteen minutes of normal time. It was disciplined, if desperate, and at times almost stubbornly effective.
The collapse, when it came in extra time, was swift and comprehensive. Julián Alvarez restored Argentina's lead on 112 minutes, assisted by substitute José Manuel López. Then, in the first minute of added time at the end of the second period, Lautaro Martínez put the result beyond any doubt to make it 3-1. Both goals in extra time came from men who had entered from the bench, a vindication of Scaloni's squad management even if the outcome was never truly in question once Embolo had walked.
Messi was the axis around which everything turned. His assist for the opener was characteristic, and his influence on Argentina's rhythm was visible in every passing sequence they built. He did not score, but the game moved at his pace and in his direction. Mac Allister, whose goal started things, was energetic and tidy throughout the full 120 minutes, the kind of performance that rarely draws gasps but always makes the team better.
Defensively, Argentina were organised without being imperious. Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez were steady, and Emiliano Martínez was called upon four times, each time equal to the task. The three yellow cards Argentina accumulated reflected moments when Switzerland threatened rather than any sustained defensive vulnerability.
For Switzerland, Granit Xhaka worked diligently in midfield to the final whistle and was the best of their outfield players in terms of sustained effort. Ndoye's equaliser gave the tie a genuine edge of possibility, and Kobel made four saves before being beaten twice in extra time. But the red card for Embolo, however it was earned, was the moment the door closed. Defending against Argentina with ten men for nearly fifty minutes, including the whole of extra time, was always going to end one way.
Argentina are in the semi-finals. They were not always fluent, and they needed the jolt of being pegged back before they found their best again, but they got the job done without panic. The world champions move on.