Lionel Messi found himself at the center of another viral World Cup moment after a heated exchange with Portuguese referee João Pinheiro during Argentina’s quarter-final win over Switzerland on Saturday. The incident unfolded in the first half of Argentina’s dramatic 3-1 extra-time victory at the Kansas City Stadium, a result that sent the defending champions into overtime. FIFA World Cup semi-finals, where they will face England in Atlanta. The confrontation came as Switzerland prepared to take a free kick. Messi, standing in Argentina’s defensive wall, appeared frustrated with Pinheiro’s instructions to move back the necessary distance before taking the set-piece. Television cameras captured the brief but tense interaction, with the Argentina captain visibly exchanging words with the referee. Clips of the incident quickly spread on social media, becoming one of the main talking points from the match despite Argentina’s eventual victory. The match itself started perfectly for Lionel Scaloni’s team. Just 10 minutes in, Messi delivered a precise corner from the left that Alexis Mac Allister headed home to give Argentina the lead. The opening period was fiercely contested, with both teams battling for control in midfield and creating few clear cut opportunities. Argentina took their slender lead into the interval before Switzerland hit back after the restart. Dan Ndoye brought the Swiss level after a neat one-two move on the edge of the box, despite Emiliano Martínez already producing two important saves to preserve Argentina’s lead. Switzerland’s hopes suffered a major setback in the 72nd minute when Breel Embolo was shown a second yellow card following a VAR review for simulation, reducing his squad to 10 men. Argentina dominated possession after gaining the numerical advantage and almost found a winner late in normal time, only for Gregor Kobel to brilliantly deny Lisandro Martínez’s acrobatic bicycle kick. The breakthrough finally came in added time when Julián Álvarez cut inside from the left and curled a superb shot into the top corner to restore Argentina’s lead. Lautaro Martínez then finished off the contest, reacting quickest to a rebound after a quick counter-attack to make it 3-1 and seal Argentina’s passage into the last four. The win also extended Argentina’s remarkable scoring streak to 15 consecutive FIFA World Cup matches, one of the longest streaks in the tournament’s history, as Scaloni’s side continued their quest for back-to-back World Cup titles.