Switzerland made Argentina work for every one of 120 minutes. Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring inside ten off a Messi pass, but Dan Ndoye's 67th-minute equalizer — despite Switzerland playing a man down since Breel Embolo's second yellow five minutes earlier — dragged it to extra time at 1–1. Argentina dominated possession (59%) throughout, and their central corridor did the real damage — under a third of their attacking output, but worth 2.02 expected goals and 19 shots, more than the rest of the pitch combined. Switzerland's own central pocket threatened (0.51 xG) but their flanks barely registered. A resolute Swiss defense held out anyway until the 112th minute, when Julián Álvarez picked up a loose ball some 22 meters out and drove a right-footed strike that dipped past the keeper into the corner, one of the goals of the tournament. Lautaro Martínez sealed it with the last kick of the game. Switzerland's ten men had more than matched Argentina for over an hour in the moments that mattered; in the end, one flash of magic settled it.