Lionel Scaloni says Argentina needed to "suffer" to reach World Cup semi-finals

Alexis MacAllister opened the scoring at the Kansas City Stadium after just 10 minutes but Argentina were pegged back when Dan Ndoye netted a 67th minute equaliser.

The match went to extra-time where Julian Alvarez restored the 2022 Qatar World Cup Champions' lead, after 112 minutes, and Lautaro Martinez sealed the result with his goal in the 121st minute of the match.

Argentina will now face England in the semi-finals, following their 2-1 victory over Norway.

Speaking after the game, Scaloni admitted that he knew his team would "suffer" against a strong Swiss side.

"We knew that we were going ‌to suffer, and this is part of our blood, this is part of our DNA, ‌and this brings peace of mind," the coach said on FlashScore.

"In Qatar, ​we were not that experienced, I myself included, and those kind of situations were very difficult.

"However, now we are more experienced because we know what it feels like ​to be dominated by the opponent, to concede an equaliser, so today we kept our composure. The team knew how to remain calm and, of course, we will never give up."

Argentina needed penalties to see off France in the 2022 World Cup final, and haven't had it all their own way in this tournament as they twice squandered leads to Cape Verde before grinding out a 3-2 victory in the round of 32, before going 2-0 ‌down to Egypt ahead of a thrilling comeback and 3-2 victory.

"It was a tough opponent," added Scaloni. It was very difficult for us to win the duels, to put more than five or six passes together.

"They were very strong, and they made that struggle ‌in the one versus one in different areas of the pitch. We suffered quite a lot.

"We also have players on the bench who can turn the game on its head, and this is something very good. Ultimately, we always find the solutions."

"When you ‌reach a semi-final, you need to suffer. You need to go through it," Scaloni concluded.