Breel Embolo’s World Cup ended in tears after Switzerland’s quarter-final against Argentina was transformed by one of the most dramatic VAR interventions of the tournament.
Switzerland’s Breel Embolo went down after a challenge by Leandro Paredes, which initially led to a the Argentine being shown a yellow card
The decision was reversed after a VAR review for mistaken identity with Embolo adjudged to have dived, leading to him being sent off for a second bookable offence
Embolo was reduced to tears as Switzerland were reduced to 10-men with the game in the balance against the reigning world champions
The Swiss forward, already on a yellow card, went down in the 70th minute after a challenge involving Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes. At first, it looked as though Paredes had committed the foul. Referee Joao Pinheiro showed the Argentine a yellow card, and Switzerland appeared to have won a useful decision at a crucial moment in a finely balanced match.
Then everything changed. VAR asked Pinheiro to review the incident under the competition’s new mistaken-identity rule. The rule allows officials to reverse a disciplinary decision when the wrong player has been punished and the infringement was actually committed by an opponent.
After watching the footage again, Pinheiro decided Paredes had not fouled Embolo. Instead, the referee judged that the Swiss striker had initiated the contact by leaving his leg trailing before going to ground. Paredes’ yellow card was cancelled, Embolo was booked for simulation, and because he had already been cautioned earlier in the match, the second yellow became a red.
The decision left Embolo devastated. The striker broke down in tears as Switzerland’s players surrounded the referee in protest. Team-mates tried to console him before he was eventually led away, forced to leave the pitch with the quarter-final still alive and his nation fighting to stay in the World Cup.
The timing made the moment even more brutal. Switzerland had only just dragged themselves level through Dan Ndoye, who finished superbly after combining with Ricardo Rodriguez. Argentina had led from the 10th minute, when Alexis Mac Allister headed in from a corner, but the Swiss response had shifted the momentum and placed the defending champions under real pressure.
At 11 against 11, Switzerland looked capable of pushing Argentina all the way. After the red card, the match became a survival mission. Despite being reduced to 10 men, Murat Yakin’s side showed remarkable discipline and courage, holding out through the rest of normal time and forcing extra time against the reigning world champions.
But Argentina eventually found the breakthrough. Julian Alvarez produced the decisive moment in the second half of extra time, curling a superb finish beyond the Swiss defence to restore Argentina’s lead. Lautaro Martinez then added another late goal to seal a 3-1 victory and finally break Switzerland’s resistance.
The result sent Argentina into a blockbuster World Cup semi-final against England, but the debate around Embolo’s dismissal is unlikely to fade quickly. Some will see it as a correct use of VAR and a warning that simulation can now be punished more forcefully. Others will argue that such an intervention changed the entire shape of a quarter-final that had been hanging in the balance.
For Embolo, the pain was immediate and visible. He had worked hard throughout the tournament, led the line for Switzerland and helped take them to the brink of a historic semi-final. Instead, his World Cup ended with tears, controversy and a red card that may be remembered as one of the tournament’s defining flashpoints.
Argentina march on. Switzerland go home. And the football world is left arguing over a VAR decision that turned one player’s fall into a nation’s heartbreak.
