Akanji: Argentina Had No Chance 11-on-11

Manuel Akanji, a key figure in the Swiss national team, didn't hold back his criticism of referee João Pinheiro (Portugal) following their World Cup quarter-final clash against Argentina. Switzerland ultimately fell 1-3 in extra time, but played with ten men after the 70th minute when Breel Embolo received a second yellow, leading to a red card, a decision made after VAR intervention.

“When the game ended, I just thought about how incredibly proud I am of this team. Argentina truly had no chance when it was 11 against 11 on the pitch. Unfortunately, I know that Julian Alvarez's goal wasn't a fluke,” stated the defender, who was once his teammate at Manchester City.

“I'm usually not one to complain about the referee. But today, every little thing went their way. I've never played in a match officiated as one-sidedly as today. None of their combat-sport-like tackles in game situations were penalized. They didn't receive a single yellow card in the first 90 minutes. Then, because of Breel's incident, he got a yellow card. But even with ten men, we did everything we could. Of course, Embolo is such an important part of this team, and we stand behind him,” Akanji fumed after the match.

For Switzerland, it's a small consolation that they reached a World Cup quarter-final for the first time since 1954.