Argentina's legendary footballer Lionel Messi hailed his team's resilience and fighting spirit after the defending champions survived a major scare against Switzerland to book their spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final for the second consecutive time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
FIFA World Cup leading goal scorer Messi could not make an impact with a goal in the match; however, he stayed till the last whistle and motivated the team as Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez struck in extra time to help Argentina beat a 10-man Switzerland by 3-1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"I feel very happy about the victory, a very hard-fought win. We knew it was going to be a very intense match. It was important for us to take this step to have a more relaxed week before what's coming," Messi said after the match, according to Goal.com.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Argentina netted in their 15th successive World Cup game. The only teams with longer scoring streaks in the competition are Uruguay (16 games from 1930-1962), Hungary (17 games from 1934-1962), Germany (18 games from 1986-1998), Germany (18 games from 1934-1958) and Brazil (18 games from 1930-1958).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Celebrating the win on social media, Messi shared a series of photos from the hard-fought victory and emphasised the mental strength of the squad.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Argentina netted in their 15th successive World Cup game. The only teams with longer scoring streaks in the competition are Uruguay (16 games from 1930-1962), Hungary (17 games from 1934-1962), Germany (18 games from 1986-1998), Germany (18 games from 1934-1958) and Brazil (18 games from 1930-1958).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Lionel Scaloni's side will now face fierce rivals England in the second semi-final at Atlanta Stadium on Thursday as they look to book their place in the final for the second consecutive time and give themselves a strong chance to defend their title and script history, becoming the first team to defend their title in FIFA WC history after Brazil in 1962.<\/p>\r\n\r\n