World Cup Round of 16 takeaways: How much longer can Argentina continue to live on the edge?

How long can Argentina keep living dangerously in the World Cup knockout rounds? The Argentinians became the first team to overturn a two-goal deficit in the final 15 minutes of regulation without needing extra time in a World Cup knockout round game on Tuesday. The defending World Cup champions scored three times in 13 minutes and beat Egypt 3-2. Th e win came just days after Argentina needed 120 minutes to beat Cape Verde by the same score, though the game unfolded quite differently. Against Cape Verde, Argentina took the lead twice before Cape Verde tied it, including in extra time on an incredible goal by Sydny Lopes Cabral. The lead only held for good after a set-piece goal that was credited as an own goal for Cape Verde’s Diney Borges in the 111th minute. Tuesday, Argentina was the better team in the first half. It dominated the ball and had numerous chances. Yet it was down 1-0 at the break. Yasser Ibrahim’s 15th-minute goal was Egypt’s only touch in the Argentina penalty box all half. In the second half, Argentina found itself cut open by Egypt’s counter-attack. And fortunate to not trail 3-0, after VAR intervened to call back a brilliant goal that would have given Egypt a 2-0 lead nine minutes before they were officially credited with goal No. 2. The win over Cape Verde was Argentina’s third win in either extra time or penalty kicks in its last four knockout round games. While the Egypt comeback doesn’t fit in that category, it continues a theme. Argentina is winning a lot of games it could easily lose. Sure, it helps having the best player in modern soccer history on your team. But Lionel Messi also missed a penalty kick in the first half on Tuesday. He’s human, even if his game-tying goal was a moment of magic. But no matter who is on your team, there’s only so much you can do while winning on the finest of margins. Just ask the Kansas City Chiefs, who rode a host of one-score wins to the Super Bowl during the 2024 season before getting blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles and having everything fall apart in 2025 despite bringing back much of the same team. We don’t know when the end will come for this Argentina team until it actually happens. All signs pointed to Tuesday’s game being Messi’s last competitive match in that famed blue and white-striped shirt with 20 minutes remaining. But this is clearly a team that continues to defy the odds. And given who looms on the path to being repeat champions, Argentina would be well-served to stop living on the edge. Can Switzerland make an improbable run to the semis? Look, Switzerland doesn’t play the most appealing brand of soccer. But it’s effective. And in the World Cup, you don’t need to apologize for effectiveness. The Swiss took down Colombia 4-3 in penalty kicks Tuesday afternoon after a scoreless 120 minutes preceded those spot kicks. The game itself wasn’t much to watch; but Ruben Vargas gave Switzerland its first quarterfinal appearance in 72 years when he buried the team’s fifth penalty. Switzerland won Group A thanks to a win over Canada in the final group game and has played each of its last three games in Vancouver. It now travels to Kansas City to play Argentina and will be a significant underdog. But don’t immediately discount this team. Especially given how Argentina has needed late goals to advance. Like Argentina, Switzerland has one of the most experienced squads in the tournament. It will have a solid gameplan for Messi and won’t be exposed by an Argentina team that doesn’t tend to break quickly. Will that be enough? Likely not. If its World Cup opener was any indication, Argentina will have a huge crowd advantage. Switzerland could be the “easy” game that Argentina needs ahead of the semifinals. Or it could be disciplined enough to not fold like Egypt did if it builds an early lead.