The first two rounds of the World Cup knockout stage have concluded, leaving only the tournament’s top echelon of teams with World Cup glory still left to play for.
Two quarterfinal matchups have already been decided, and the full semifinal bracket will be set after the remaining two quarterfinal games on July 11. Let’s take a look at the Argentina vs. Switzerland quarterfinal and preview the upcoming matchup.
The reigning World Cup champions are still going strong and are coming off an incredible comeback against Egypt in the Round of 16. Down 2-0 for nearly 80 minutes and on the brink of elimination, Argentina fought back and scored three goals in the span of 13 minutes to win 3-2 in stoppage time.
Argentina have now had back-to-back games in which they have faced incredibly tough situations, first in their Round of 32 contest against Cape Verde, which they also won 3-2, and then in their Round of 16 comeback against Egypt.
The reigning champions have faced serious tests early in the knockout stage but will now take on an experienced Switzerland squad coming off a competitive victory over Colombia in the Round of 16. Lionel Messi, the frontrunner in the Golden Boot race with a remarkable eight goals in five matches, has been dominant all tournament and willed Argentina’s comeback against Egypt with an assist and a brilliant equalizing goal. Argentina’s sound structure and experience in major international matches will present a difficult challenge for Switzerland.
Switzerland are coming into this game against Argentina in good form and have been one of the most consistent teams throughout the tournament. They played excellent soccer in the group stage, recording two wins and a draw to secure first place in Group B. They then defeated Algeria 2-0 in the Round of 32 before taking down a talented Colombia side in a penalty shootout after 120 scoreless minutes.
Johan Manzambi has been one of the standout players for Switzerland, recording three goals and two assists in his debut World Cup campaign. However, Switzerland will have to replace his goal contributions elsewhere after he was ruled out with an injury.
Although Switzerland are facing the defending champions, they should take confidence from the fact that both Cape Verde and Egypt troubled Argentina and believe they can do the same. If Argentina come out the way they did for much of the Egypt match, Switzerland could definitely pull off an upset and advance to the semifinals.
The winner of this contest will go on to play England in the semifinals.
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