Lionel Messi found himself at the center of another viral World Cup moment after an animated exchange with Portuguese referee João Pinheiro during Argentina’s quarterfinal win over Switzerland on Saturday. The incident occurred in the opening half of Argentina’s dramatic 3-1 extra-time win at the Kansas City Stadium, a result that sent the defending champions to the FIFA World Cup semifinals, where they will face England in Atlanta. The confrontation took place as Switzerland prepared to take a free-kick. Messi, standing in Argentina’s defensive wall, appeared frustrated by Pinheiro’s instructions to retreat the necessary distance before taking the set-piece. Television cameras caught the brief but tense interaction, with the Argentina captain apparently 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 game itself started perfectly for Lionel Scaloni’s side. Just 10 minutes in, Messi delivered a precise corner from the left that Alexis McAllister headed home with a header to give Argentina an early lead. The opening period was fiercely contested, with both teams battling for control of the midfield and creating few clear-cut opportunities. Argentina took their slim advantage into the interval before Switzerland responded after the restart. Dan Ndoye brought the Swiss level after a neat one-two move on the edge of the box, although Emiliano Martínez had already made two crucial 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 side to 10 men. Argentina dominated possession after gaining a numerical advantage and almost found a winner late in normal time, only for Gregor Kobel to superbly 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 strike into the top corner to restore Argentina’s lead. Lautaro Martínez then ended the contest, reacting quickest to a rebound after a quick attack to make it 3-1 and seal Argentina’s passage to the last four. The win also extended Argentina’s remarkable run of scoring in 15 consecutive FIFA World Cup matches, one of the longest streaks in the tournament’s history, as Scaloni’s side continued their pursuit of back-to-back World Cup titles.