Messi is Argentina's only hope as they stumble past Swiss

Many people's tip for the tournament look ordinary against well-organised Switzerland

Argentina's forward and captain Lionel Messi
(Image credit: NELSON ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Argentina 1 Switzerland 0. A goal from Angel Di Maria in the dying minutes of extra-time saved Argentina the agony of penalties in their last 16 clash with Switzerland. He was set up, inevitably, by Lionel Messi and until that moment Argentina had struggled to break down an organised and disciplined Swiss side.

It was a sobering match for the South Americans, who either went into the encounter with a touch of complacency or revealed to the world that they are not just as good as they claim to be – with the exception of Messi.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Bill Mann is a football correspondent for The Week.co.uk, scouring the world's football press daily for the popular Transfer Talk column.