Argentina won a match against Egypt they had nearly lost, snatching victory in the final moments. The win secured their place in the quarter-finals. Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarter-final at 7am Bangladesh time on July 12.
The Swiss beat Colombia on penalties last night. Right after that match, Swiss coach Murat Yakin was asked about their quarter-final opponent, Argentina. While his words carried respect for the opponent, he made clear that beating Argentina isn’t impossible.
He said: “Facing the current champions is a fantastic thing. It’s a unique opportunity for us. But Argentina isn’t invincible. We will certainly try our best to beat them. We know the mentality of Latin American teams well.”
Switzerland last played in a World Cup quarter-final on home soil in 1954. Seventy-two years later, they’ve reached the last eight again. They remain unbeaten in the tournament so far. Switzerland qualified for the round of 32 as group champions.
In the knockout stage, they beat Algeria and then Colombia to reach the quarter-finals. Ricardo Rodriguez, playing in his fourth World Cup, has played an important role in their journey. His words carried respect for Argentina.
After the round-of-16 match against Colombia, he said: “Argentina, coming into the quarter-final, are an extraordinary team. They have some brilliant players and a good coach. We know how they play. They have the world’s best, Lionel Messi.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report