For long stretches, the pattern was familiar. Every attack seemed built around getting the ball to Messi, as if the entire team's hopes rested on his left boot alone. With Argentina locked at 1-1 and staring down the barrel of a penalty shootout, that reliance only grew stronger.

Messi tried everything he could. He drove through the center of the pitch and ran into a packed defence. He whipped in crosses that found no one.

He tested Swiss goalkeeper Gregor Kobel with shots from both feet, all of which were turned away. There was even a delicate chipped effort, the kind of finish only he seems capable of imagining, which Kobel also kept out. That one didn't even count on the scoresheet, since it was flagged offside, wrongly as it turned out.



Then, in the 112th minute, the ball found Messi once more. He surged forward at pace, sliding past defenders along the box, and unloaded a fierce shot that carried so much power that he nearly toppled over. Kobel was equal to it, palming the effort away with real composure.

It was one more near-miss in a night full of them, and Argentina's anxiety only deepened. Nothing was falling their way.

Álvarez Strikes When Least Expected
What happened next belonged to a different Argentine altogether.

Álvarez had spent the match doing the unglamorous work, covering ground, stretching the play, pressing when needed, without ever really threatening Switzerland's goal. .