England and Argentina booked their places in the FIFA World Cup semifinals on Saturday and early Sunday morning after two dramatic quarterfinal victories that ended the impressive runs of Norway and Switzerland.
England needed extra time to beat Norway 2-1 in a tense contest in Miami, while defending champion Argentina defeated 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in extra time in Kansas City after a match overshadowed by a VAR decision involving Swiss striker Breel Embolo.
Norway took the lead through Andreas Schjelderup before Jude Bellingham brought England level before halftime.
The Real Madrid midfielder then struck again in stoppage time to send the Three Lions into the last four.
England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted his side did not produce its best football.
"We made too many easy mistakes," Tuchel said.
“We were not fluent enough, but the mentality of the team was outstanding.”
Bellingham praised his teammates' determination, saying they showed “character again.”
“It wasn't perfect, but in these conditions you have to find a way, and we did," he said.
In Kansas City, Argentina looked set for another difficult night despite taking an early lead through Alexis Mac Allister.
Dan Ndoye equalised for Switzerland before one of the tournament's biggest controversies unfolded.
Referee João Pinheiro initially booked Argentina's Leandro Paredes for a foul on Embolo.
However, after a VAR review under FIFA's new mistaken identity protocol, the yellow card was transferred to Embolo for simulation.
Because the Swiss forward had already been booked, he received a second yellow card and was sent off, leaving Switzerland to play with 10 men.
Argentina finally broke through in extra time as Julián Álvarez scored before Lautaro Martínez sealed a 3-1 victory.
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted his team needed good fortune.
“The truth is we suffered today.
"We knew they were a very physical team.
"They put us in a lot of difficulty," Scaloni said.
Switzerland coach Murat Yakin blasted the referee’s decision afterward.
"There was definitely no reason to award that yellow card.
"This rule destroyed our game today,” Yakin said.
The results set up a heavyweight semifinal between England and Argentina.
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