KANSAS CITY, United States, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said his side would give everything in pursuit of back-to-back World Cup titles after Saturday's 3-1 extra-time quarterfinal victory over Switzerland.

Argentina's head coach Lionel Scaloni gestures on the touchline during the 2026 World Cup football tournament quarter-final match between Argentina and Switzerland at the Kansas City Stadium in Kansas City on July 11, 2026. (Photo: AFP)

Argentina led through Alexis Mac Allister's early header but Dan Ndoye equalized in the second half. Breel Embolo was later sent off before Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez struck in extra time at Kansas City Stadium.

The result means Argentina will play in its fifth consecutive semifinal at a major tournament dating back to the 2019 Copa America.

"Five tournaments and five semifinals," said Scaloni, who took charge of Argentina after the 2018 World Cup. "I hadn't thought about it, but it is something we should be happy about. Without these players, it wouldn't be possible.

"It is incredible to reach a semifinal and occupy such a privileged place in football. We should be satisfied and remain hopeful until the end, giving every last drop of sweat. If we achieve it, great. If we don't, we will have given everything."

After finishing top of its group with three wins from three, the reigning champion has been tested in the knockout stage. It needed extra time to overcome Cabo Verde and recovered from two goals down with 11 minutes left to beat Egypt in the round of 16.

"It is possible that we weren't at our best today," Scaloni said. "It was a complicated match. We tried to play our way, but it wasn't possible."

"You have to congratulate Switzerland. I am happy with the team's performance, but it reinforces that we have to keep working and improving."

The 48-year-old admitted Murat Yakin's side had prevented his team from imposing itself.

"We perhaps didn't play the way we wanted, but we showed other qualities and that is worth highlighting," he said. "We won because of our ambition and our desire to avoid penalties, because Switzerland has players who could have made things complicated."

"We won because of our desire, not because of the way we were playing. We weren't able to keep the ball and we want to understand why. We'll analyze that later."

Argentina will face England in Atlanta on Wednesday, with a place in the final at stake.

Scaloni declined to dwell on the teams' decades-long World Cup history, which includes the 1986 quarterfinal remembered for Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" and the Goal of the Century.

"It is a football match," Scaloni said, playing down the game's wider significance. "We aren't looking for anything else."

"England is a good team with a great manager whom I admire a lot. But it is a game of football. There is nothing more to it than that."