Two teams faced elimination again today in the 2014 FIFA World Cup as Lionel Messi and Argentina faced Xherdan Shaqiri and Switzerland in the Round of 16. Both teams looked great in the field, though Argentina struggled to create some plays and be able to get through Switzerland but at the end it was Argentina who got through Switzerland and advanced to the Quarterfinal to face either Belgium or a struggling United States teams. The last time these two teams faced each other was back in 2012 in a international friendly match. We saw Argentina demolish Switzerland in the friendly matchup 3-1 and this time we saw Argentina get the win against the Swiss.
The first half was a slow start for either team. Switzerland seemed to pressure Argentina a lot and try to get an early goal to make Argentina struggle even more, but the Argentinian defense was to good for the offense of Switzerland. Argentina in the other hand seemed to struggle against Switzerland and not be able to get through the defense or goalkeeper by any chance at all. We did see Granit Xhaka with an opportunity to help the Swiss take the lead. Shaqiri was able to find Xhaka all alone in front of the box and be able to shoot it at goal but goalkeeper Romero kept the eye in the ball and was able to stop Xhaka from scoring. Later in the 38th minute we saw Josip Drmic with an opportunity as well to get the Swiss on board. Xhaka was able to find Drmic all alone on the other side of the field and the hopes of the Swiss to score seemed like it was high since it was only Drmic facing goalkeeper Romero but he wasn’t able to execute the play right and Romero was able to find the ball and save Argentina from falling behind.
Argentina was also faced with some opportunities but the only one that seemed like a chance for La Albiceleste was in the 40th minute as Lionel Messi was able to create a play to find Di Maria open and shoot for goal but shot straight at the Swiss goalkeeper. The game stayed scoreless in the first half and the second half seemed to be the same thing.
Argentina had more control of the ball during the second half giving the Swiss a hell of a run and with many chances of falling behind. In the 49th minute, Xherdan Shaqiri had a chance to score in a free kick in which Romero had to work to block it and after loses control of the ball and has to fight to get it back and keep the game scoreless. In the 61st minute, it was Lavezzi that crossed the ball to Higuain who was able to head it in but goalkeeper Benaglio was there to save the day again for the Swiss. In the 67th minute it was Messi who created a beautiful chance to score, similar to Colombian’s James Rodriguez. Messi was able to stop the ball with his chest, set it up for the kick and as he kicked it, it went to high and still kept the game scoreless.
Argentina had many chances to score in the second half and one chance for the Swiss, but still wasn’t enough for either team to get the win in regular time. So the game headed to extra time and what a finish it was by the Argentinians. The Swiss but a hell of a game and created many chances one being in the last minutes of the game. Argentina, though, striked first to get on the scoreboard. Just went you thought the game was going to penalty kicks it was Lionel Messi and Di Maria who put La Albiceleste to the Quarterfinals.
It was a beautiful play in which Lionel Messi did what he does best, get through so many defenders, keep his eyes open and head up, find Angel di Maria who was able to strike the ball in and get it pass through Diego Benaglio. You can see it in the fan’s faces and in the players a huge sigh of relief when they scored but it wasn’t over yet.
After the sigh of relief it was nerves that took over since the Swiss weren’t quitting just yet. In a corner kick play, Blerim Džemaili was able to find the ball with his head and as he headed the ball, it bounced off the left bottom of the post and it came back to Džemaili but he wasn’t able to find it with his feet and get it inside the net to tie the game.
When the whistle blew, you can see a huge sigh of relief from the Argentinians as they established a spot in the Quarterfinals. The Swiss, on the other hand, fought hard and gave Argentina a heck of game but it wasn’t enough to put them through the next stage of the Quarterfinals.
Argentina will now face either Belgium or USA in the next round and hope to get a spot in the semi-finals and get closer to the World Cup.
Photo Credit: Nelson Almeida/AFP
