Argentina’s skipper Lionel Messi showered praise on his players ahead of the World Cup semifinal against England. La Albiceleste had to sweat hard in their 3-1 extra-time win against Switzerland at Kansas City on Saturday.
Messi said Argentina’s remarkable run is not normal as they look to defend their title for the first time. Meanwhile, Mac Allister scored from a header from Messi’s corner in the 10th minute.
However, Dan Ndoye equalised for Switzerland in the 67th minute. But, the Swiss suffered a huge blow when Breel Embolo was given a red card for simulation after five minutes, leaving his team down to 10 men.
Both teams could not find the winner in regular 90 minutes; however, Julian Alvarez scored a stunning goal in the 112th minute, which is his first of the World Cup. Lautaro Martinez then put the game to bed as he scored in the 121st minute.
“It’s good that [Argentine] people are enjoying it as much as we are. That’s how we live it,” Messi told ESPN Argentina.
“This group has got people used to doing things that aren’t normal: it’s not easy to come back from being world champions, winning everything we won, and then continue competing and remaining at that level, among the top four, playing in another semifinal … It’s not normal, that’s why we have to enjoy it so much.
“We don’t know if it will happen again, if it will happen again, when. We went a long time without being world champions until the last time, so everything that comes next should be enjoyed and valued. We will try to rest, recover our strength and compete in the semifinal.”
Messi admitted they were expecting a tough match against Switzerland but said they couldn’t bring their A-game to the pitch.
“We know the difficulties of this World Cup, how it’s been going,” Messi said. “We expected a tough match. In the first half, even though we took the lead, they made it a hard game for us. They kept equalizing; we couldn’t play our game, we couldn’t maintain possession for long periods. And without the ball, we sat too deep. Their red card completely changed the game, but it was still difficult.”
Argentina will play England in the semifinal clash in Atlanta on Wednesday.
