Scaloni: We won't give up... and Argentina's path is difficult.
Lionel Scaloni, coach of the Argentine national football team, affirmed that their 3-1 victory over Switzerland in extra time during their quarter-final match of the 2026 World Cup early Sunday morning was further proof that he has become calmer in handling difficult situations.
Scaloni's players had to overcome a two-goal deficit in their seemingly improbable 3-2 victory over Egypt in the round of 16, and then faced intense pressure once again from a relentless Swiss team. However, they managed to find solutions when the pressure was at its peak, scoring two goals late in extra time to reach the semi-finals.
The Argentina coach said: "We knew we would suffer; it's in our blood, in our DNA, and it gives us peace of mind. Argentina's path in the tournament has been anything but easy. We squandered two leads against Cape Verde before securing a hard-fought 3-2 victory in the round of 32, and then we were trailing 2-0 against Egypt until the 79th minute before turning the game around."
Scaloni believes that the experience of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where Argentina won the title on penalties against France, helped his players overcome those difficult moments.
He added: "We didn't have that experience in Qatar, myself included, and those situations were very difficult. But now we are more experienced because we know what it feels like when the opponent dominates you and when you concede an equalizer. So today we kept our composure. The team knew how to stay calm, and of course, we will never give up." Scaloni continued: "Switzerland were a tough opponent, and winning individual duels or stringing together five or six consecutive passes was very difficult for us. They were very strong and made it difficult in one-on-one situations in different areas of the pitch. We suffered a lot."
However, even on a day when Argentina wasn't at its best, Scaloni felt that the depth of his squad and the team's collective confidence helped them progress. He said: "We also have players on the bench who can turn a game around completely, and that's very good. In the end, we always find solutions."