Argentina v Switzerland

:01:18. > :01:32.save. It's wide! Saved again. Poster boy of the World Cup. He has nerves

:01:33. > :01:36.of steel. Good afternoon. There are two south

:01:37. > :01:40.American teams already through to the quarter-finals. Argentina are

:01:41. > :01:41.bidding to make it three against unfancied Switzerland. In this World

:01:42. > :03:13.Cup you never know. four occasions winning the World Cup

:03:14. > :03:17.on home soil in 1978 and again in Mexico in 1986. They've not gone

:03:18. > :03:22.beyond the quarter-finals since 1990. Can Messi inspire them once

:03:23. > :03:26.again today? Switzerland are hoping to reach the last eight for the

:03:27. > :03:37.first time since they hosted the World Cup in 1954, 60 years ago.

:03:38. > :03:41.Terrible news for Ottmar Hitzfeld, his older brother passed away,

:03:42. > :03:45.though the coach will remain with the squad. A bit of perspective

:03:46. > :03:52.there. Argentina, Alan, one of the big

:03:53. > :03:54.favourites, but like a lot of the major footballing nations,

:03:55. > :03:57.occasionally they've looked to have weaknesses as well as obvious

:03:58. > :04:02.strengths. They've puffed and huffed a bit in the group stages. It's a

:04:03. > :04:06.bit disappointing the tournament have not got a standout team. Every

:04:07. > :04:09.time you think you have seen the best goal, it gets better and then

:04:10. > :04:15.you think you have seen the quickest game ever, Brazil against Chile but

:04:16. > :04:20.last night the Germans and Algeria was sensational. You are right,

:04:21. > :04:26.there is not a standout team. The players that the Argentinians have

:04:27. > :04:29.got and it could be their team. Messi arguably the greatest player

:04:30. > :04:33.on the planet, this could be his time. It's the knockout stages that

:04:34. > :04:37.tends to produce that standout team, that's obviously when you have to

:04:38. > :04:41.perform. Yeah and Argentina could be that team. Defensively the whole

:04:42. > :04:47.competition, we have never seen such poor defending in a World Cup. Very

:04:48. > :04:51.poor. I expect goals today. I don't think the Swiss are great

:04:52. > :04:59.defensively, nor Argentina. I want to see goals. That's why Hansen is

:05:00. > :05:04.going grey as we speak! We want to see great goals and that hasn't been

:05:05. > :05:07.a disappointment at all. But defensively Argentina are very much

:05:08. > :05:13.like everyone else, they've struggled at times. If the Swiss

:05:14. > :05:19.play like they did against the French were they were so open Messi

:05:20. > :05:26.and co will have a field day. Overreliance on one man? Not if he

:05:27. > :05:31.is that good, Maradona in 86, the team then weren't as good as the

:05:32. > :05:36.players in this, no, Messi, I mean, nobody's ever won the World Cup on

:05:37. > :05:41.their own. Maradona was as close as you are going to get. It could be

:05:42. > :05:46.Messi's year. The game takes place in Sao Paulo. As you can imagine,

:05:47. > :05:51.Argentina have huge support amongst the masses.

:05:52. > :05:55.Welcome everybody to a beautiful sunny Sao Paulo. Gorgeous day here

:05:56. > :05:59.for Argentina against Switzerland. Tim, as you know we always get

:06:00. > :06:02.excited about past meetings between teams. Normally it tells us little

:06:03. > :06:08.but in this case you think it's significant. The last time these two

:06:09. > :06:12.met, February 2012, Messi rolled the Swiss over. 3-1 win. He scored all

:06:13. > :06:16.three goals. That really was the start of a process where finally

:06:17. > :06:21.Messi was showing his best club form for his country. In that game

:06:22. > :06:25.against Switzerland it was Messi and Aguero up front. Everybody is

:06:26. > :06:30.talking about Messi. There's going to have to be a change, what will

:06:31. > :06:35.Argentina do? There was talk of Rodriguez coming in on the right of

:06:36. > :06:42.midfield in a conventional 4-4-2, that would have been a cautious

:06:43. > :06:51.option. Lavezzi will be expected to track back, as well. What about

:06:52. > :06:54.Switzerland, how can they hurt an Argentina side? Argentina leave

:06:55. > :06:58.themselves vulnerable. There is space always between the fullbacks

:06:59. > :07:01.and the centre-backs. The problem for Switzerland is will they have

:07:02. > :07:07.enough gas in the tank to take advantage? They've played a game in

:07:08. > :07:12.sapping conditions, what do they have left in the tank? You think we

:07:13. > :07:16.have had the quote of the tournament from the Argentina boss. We can talk

:07:17. > :07:22.about technique and tactics and selection all we like, but at this

:07:23. > :07:25.stage of the tournament Sabella think what really matters is your

:07:26. > :07:29.grey matter, he said at this stage in the tournament one gram of brain

:07:30. > :07:39.weighs more than a kilo of muscle. He is a philosopher! Deep thoughts

:07:40. > :07:45.from the Argentina boss. We hand back to our heavy-headed pundit

:07:46. > :07:50.panel. Switzerland are very much second favourites this afternoon.

:07:51. > :07:55.But their coach is a wily old fox who has won the Champions League

:07:56. > :08:00.twice. We assess their chances of causing an upset.

:08:01. > :08:10.Switzerland, a nation at peace for centuries. About to experience a

:08:11. > :08:15.mighty racquet. It's 31 years as a manager, and

:08:16. > :08:22.Hitzfeld likes a challenge. He is so loved in Switzerland he was once

:08:23. > :08:29.dubbed St Ottmar. No miracles in the group stage. The

:08:30. > :08:34.Swiss started with a 2-1 win over Ecuador but had a defeat to France.

:08:35. > :08:39.The match against France was not satisfactory for any of us. It was

:08:40. > :08:42.just a bad performance. But sometimes that's necessary to wake

:08:43. > :08:47.everybody up and to look for mistakes. To know that everybody has

:08:48. > :08:51.to give more. Facing elimination the Swiss team channelled their

:08:52. > :08:57.countrymen Rodger Federer's powers of recovery against Honduras.

:08:58. > :09:01.What a goal from Shaqiri! A win so good it was approved by the man

:09:02. > :09:05.himself. It's nice having a national team doing well now, especially with

:09:06. > :09:09.our coach who has been with us a long time. It might be his last

:09:10. > :09:14.match, we hope not. We hope we can beat Argentina The odds are stacked

:09:15. > :09:18.against them. Argentina are accelerating. I think it is

:09:19. > :09:21.something really special for every Swiss player to play against

:09:22. > :09:25.Argentina. The great pressure is gone because we have reached the

:09:26. > :09:31.last 16. Now we have nothing to lose. We only can win against

:09:32. > :09:34.Argentina. It's a round of 16 in a great stadium during the World Cup.

:09:35. > :09:37.We can't wait and I hope that we will be happy. That we manage to

:09:38. > :09:41.stop Messi, not just as a single player but the whole team. The Swiss

:09:42. > :09:45.have reached three World Cup quarter-finals but are on something

:09:46. > :09:50.of a drought. The last one was 60 years ago. We can make history if we

:09:51. > :09:55.reach the quarter-finals. No matter who makes the difference, I hope

:09:56. > :10:00.that somebody scores a goal and that we don't concede one. Unfancied, a

:10:01. > :10:05.little unfashionable, little is expected off the Swiss but Hitzfeld

:10:06. > :10:09.doesn't tend to listen much to what's expected.

:10:10. > :10:13.I think sometimes we associate the Swiss team, certainly in recent

:10:14. > :10:19.years, of being well-organised, disciplined and often dull to watch.

:10:20. > :10:23.Even to the neutral, Switzerland have plenty of neutral connections,

:10:24. > :10:27.but in this World Cup they've been open and aggressive and attacking.

:10:28. > :10:36.Especially against the French. When you talk about open play and

:10:37. > :10:43.defending, and the fullbacks, this is great pressing by the French.

:10:44. > :10:45.It's terrible play. Two fullbacks, Lichtsteiner and Rodriguez too far

:10:46. > :10:59.up the pitch. He is telling him to get across. I

:11:00. > :11:08.don't think the goalkeeper was any good either. This is a pass back.

:11:09. > :11:15.Djourou heads this. This is like watching Arsenal. It's a corner

:11:16. > :11:18.kick. You talk about organisation. The goalkeeper maybe again should

:11:19. > :11:28.come but he backs off. Easy goal. Last night we saw one of the great

:11:29. > :11:30.goalkeeping performances of all time. Everything was timed to

:11:31. > :11:36.perfection. Especially that. You get it wrong, it ends up in the back of

:11:37. > :11:39.the net. I think this would sum up, Rodriguez, a fullback never looks

:11:40. > :11:43.around at all at any stage. They've men back in numbers. You are talking

:11:44. > :11:46.about organisation. The organisation there is pathetic. It's a pass back

:11:47. > :11:50.that goes in the back of the net. If they play like that against

:11:51. > :12:04.Argentina, then we will maybe have five or six. The Swiss have two

:12:05. > :12:12.quarter-finalists in Wimbledon. And Roger mentioned he would be watching

:12:13. > :12:18.us. They've made a tactical change with Shaqiri. Going forward they can

:12:19. > :12:21.test the Argentina back four, definitely. Four years ago Argentina

:12:22. > :12:28.were coached by Maradona, of course and went out with a whimper

:12:29. > :12:35.intelligence Germany. The man in charge today is Alejandro Sabella.

:12:36. > :12:53.He became a star player for a club in South Yorkshire.

:12:54. > :13:08.English football went Argentina crazy in the summer of 1978.

:13:09. > :13:11.Tottenham signed Alejandro and Sheffield United aimed higher and

:13:12. > :13:17.tried to sign a young Maradona. They came close but failed. In the end,

:13:18. > :13:24.United got a signature of an attacking midfielder, a 23-year-old

:13:25. > :13:28.from River Plate, his name was Alejandro Sabella. He was quickly

:13:29. > :13:51.nicknamed Alex. The man who struck the deal was

:13:52. > :13:58.United's manager. We watched the first game of the World Cup with

:13:59. > :14:02.Argentina and talking about possibilities of getting this sort

:14:03. > :14:06.of player. Over there I go, during this course I seen young Alex and I

:14:07. > :14:13.was convinced he had that something that was something I thought that

:14:14. > :14:17.would appeal. The deal was done but even then reluctantly you get to the

:14:18. > :14:24.airport and the man looking at the passports doesn't want to let us out

:14:25. > :14:30.because we have Sabella with us! So, he swapped South America for

:14:31. > :14:34.South Yorkshire and a steel city in decline.

:14:35. > :14:43.South Yorkshire and a steel city in I would like to pay back this

:14:44. > :14:50.reception as quick as possible. Alex is telling you back heel, back

:14:51. > :15:01.heel. That's in his language. Back heel. His skills were sublime and

:15:02. > :15:13.with his socks around his ankles he soon became a cult hero. Sabella

:15:14. > :15:19.shows us magic straightout bonus RNs. With a different philosophy,

:15:20. > :15:24.with fewer bad intentions. In Argentina the marking is tighter,

:15:25. > :15:33.they will do anything to stop you. Much more difficult to get the ball,

:15:34. > :15:37.here it is easier, you are nest likely to the macro -- less likely

:15:38. > :15:42.to get knocked off it. He left the club when they were relegated to the

:15:43. > :15:48.third division, joining Leeds, but returning home the following season.

:15:49. > :15:56.Over 30 years later, he is now in charge of his own country,

:15:57. > :16:04.Argentina. For some, Alex Sabella will always be made in Sheffield,

:16:05. > :16:10.1978. Those are the scenes inside the

:16:11. > :16:15.stadium, Sabella has turned around this Argentinian team after Diego

:16:16. > :16:19.Maradona. A big game. You say backheel to Robbie Savage, he thinks

:16:20. > :16:27.that is where you have to kick someone. We'll talk about Messi, but

:16:28. > :16:34.Mascherano is a key player in the holding role. He dictates everything

:16:35. > :16:42.they do. Always in the centre. Always looking to pass forward, and

:16:43. > :16:47.find Messi. Here we go. Keeping it nice and simple, looking for the

:16:48. > :16:52.ball. Just watch how he tries to find the best player in the team. He

:16:53. > :16:56.knows what his role is. When you are in a team of technically better

:16:57. > :17:04.players, the manager says get the ball, find the best player. You

:17:05. > :17:07.should know! I never got the ball! Look at this pass, Messi picking it

:17:08. > :17:15.up, dropping the shoulder. Playing it forward. This pass comments on

:17:16. > :17:20.station. Argentina have the best discipline, only making 22 fouls,

:17:21. > :17:25.one yellow card. With Mascherano, that is strange. He is so much

:17:26. > :17:34.better there than centre-back. A proper player. Let's see how they

:17:35. > :17:39.line up. The goalkeeper keeping three clean sheets in eight games.

:17:40. > :17:45.The same back four that started the last two games. Rojo macro scored

:17:46. > :17:52.his first international goal against Nigeria. Di Maria will get forward

:17:53. > :17:59.down the left, Mascherano and Gago sitting deeper. The only change sees

:18:00. > :18:10.Lavezzi replacing the injured Aguero. They have been hugely

:18:11. > :18:13.reliant on Messi. I don't see a problem with that. Colombia have

:18:14. > :18:18.done that with Rodriguez. Brazil with Neymar. When you have a player

:18:19. > :18:25.with this ability, you will rely on him. It was not plain sailing in the

:18:26. > :18:30.first game. In the first 45 minutes. They had the better of them, that is

:18:31. > :18:35.how he likes to play. Easier said than done. You have to try and force

:18:36. > :18:41.them onto the right-hand side. Into the middle. That is where the bodies

:18:42. > :18:49.are. This is what he wants to do. Getting it on his left foot macro,

:18:50. > :19:02.but it was not working. -- left that. -- left foot. They know he

:19:03. > :19:13.wants to come back in. He is running into bodies, four bodies. He did it

:19:14. > :19:20.brilliantly in the first half. What changed was that they brought big

:19:21. > :19:27.why a non-dash-macro they brought Gonzalo Higuain on. That created the

:19:28. > :19:32.space where he was not able to do that in the first half. There is

:19:33. > :19:48.still a hell of a lot to do. We have seen that time and time again. On

:19:49. > :19:55.his left of -- foot. That is absolutely magical. He makes his own

:19:56. > :20:01.goals from nothing more than anyone I have ever seen. There is a school

:20:02. > :20:11.of thought, the stats prove it, he does not run as round as much. --

:20:12. > :20:15.runaround. You don't need to run if you can play like that. A magical

:20:16. > :20:22.left foot. They struggled defensively against Nigeria,

:20:23. > :20:27.Mascherano, there are not many holding players. He has played there

:20:28. > :20:34.for years, he has the discipline and the know-how to protect the back

:20:35. > :20:42.four. As for the Swiss, this is their team. Benaglio has let in six

:20:43. > :20:54.goals, although he has saved a penalty against Benzema. Johan

:20:55. > :20:56.Djourou partners Fabian Schar. The full-backs are usually very

:20:57. > :21:03.attacking, they may have their hands full defensively. Behrami and Inler

:21:04. > :21:13.play for Napoli together. The creative players are 823 or younger.

:21:14. > :21:22.-- are all aged 23 or younger. Another youngster up, Drmic. Wright,

:21:23. > :21:26.Shearer on Shaqiri. That is not easy to say. He switched from the

:21:27. > :21:33.right-hand side to the number ten role. Getting him far more involved

:21:34. > :21:40.in the game. Predominantly left footed. Any right footed person

:21:41. > :21:48.would take a shot. He wants to get it back on his left. You have to

:21:49. > :21:56.show him on his right hand side. He can do this, finding those pockets

:21:57. > :22:02.of space. That is not bad. That is what he can do if you give him the

:22:03. > :22:10.space. He can play little balls in two Drmic. He's short, stocky,

:22:11. > :22:14.quick, getting into the position, great first touch, good second

:22:15. > :22:20.touch. Taking control of the goalkeeper. This is for his

:22:21. > :22:24.hat-trick. The first left footed hat-trick in World Cup history. I

:22:25. > :22:33.was looking that up last night. That is a great start. -- statistic. He

:22:34. > :22:42.should cause them problems. He has been likened to Messi, you can see

:22:43. > :22:47.why. Obviously he's no Messi. The problem playing against Messi, you

:22:48. > :22:51.have to deny him time and space, if he gets past the first one, the

:22:52. > :22:56.second one has to be waiting. I am not so sure the Swiss can do that.

:22:57. > :23:04.Both desperate to get on that left foot. It is easier said than done.

:23:05. > :23:09.Sometimes you cannot because of the pace they're running out. If he is

:23:10. > :23:13.coming in off the right, the golden rule was bring him inside where you

:23:14. > :23:21.have the bodies, but you bring him onto his left, you saw the goal he

:23:22. > :23:26.scored. I think Rodriguez could have a big game, Zabaleta was

:23:27. > :23:36.uncomfortable against Nigeria, maybe Shaqiri drifting out there. We have

:23:37. > :23:41.not seen a goal fest in the knockout stages, but this could be. A

:23:42. > :23:48.possibility. Now I have said that, it probably won't! Fingers crossed.

:23:49. > :23:53.This will be no pushover, a tough Swiss side to break down. Seven guys

:23:54. > :24:01.from the Bundesliga, three from Serie A. You are going for

:24:02. > :24:09.Switzerland? No, Argentina. I think Johan Djourou, not good enough. All

:24:10. > :24:12.six of the group winners have won, Argentina looking to make it seven

:24:13. > :24:18.out of seven. Over to Jonathan Pearce.

:24:19. > :24:23.Thank you very much, so far this World Cup drama has been a story of

:24:24. > :24:29.outstanding individuals. Can Messi become the first man since 1932

:24:30. > :24:37.score in four successive Argentine World Cup final matches. Shaqiri

:24:38. > :24:42.became the first ever layer to score a left footed hat-trick against

:24:43. > :24:46.Honduras. A wonderful atmosphere, Argentinian fans dominating. Please

:24:47. > :24:58.stand for the national anthem of Argentina.

:24:59. > :26:08.A 21 million population of greater S?o Paulo, 7000 Argentinians said to

:26:09. > :26:24.have arrived in the last two days. # Trittst im Morgenrot daher

:26:25. > :26:31.Seh? ich dich im Strahlenmeer # Dich, du Hocherhabener, Herrlicher

:26:32. > :26:47.Wenn der Alpenfirn sich rotet # Betet, freie Schweizer, betet

:26:48. > :26:57.Eure fromme Seele ahnt # Gott, den Herrn, im hehren

:26:58. > :27:17.Vaterland. # Tiny pockets of Swiss fans, hugely

:27:18. > :27:25.outnumbered. I have seen so many Argentinian fans, he will -- a

:27:26. > :27:30.fantastic and raucous atmosphere. Argentina forced to make one change,

:27:31. > :27:35.Sergio Aguero ruled out with a thigh strain. They hope he will be fit for

:27:36. > :27:41.the quarterfinal. Lavezzi replacing him, he will be on the right.

:27:42. > :27:51.Zabaleta looked uneasy against Nigeria's pace. Mascherano won the

:27:52. > :27:58.title with Corinthians in 2006, they will use this stadium after the

:27:59. > :28:06.World Cup. Gargano's supplied to Messi could be crucial. A new

:28:07. > :28:14.beginning to look matchup. Jonas Eriksson is the referee, his third

:28:15. > :28:20.game. He sent off Demichelis for his foul on Messi in the Champions

:28:21. > :28:28.League this season. Gokhan Inler, the captain of Switzerland.

:28:29. > :28:35.Switzerland have never won again beyond the group stages. Fabian

:28:36. > :28:41.Schar coming in to stop that leaky defence. They have changed it a bit

:28:42. > :28:47.since the opening game Xhaka moving to the right to allow Shaqiri more

:28:48. > :28:55.room in the middle. It paid off, the first left footed hat-trick in World

:28:56. > :29:01.Cup history. The official team sheet has instilled on the right. We will

:29:02. > :29:09.wait and see. It was the way that France destroyed them that caused

:29:10. > :29:25.Swiss fans concern here. Alex Cisak Bella -- Sabella, he was nicknamed

:29:26. > :29:38.the slough sloth in Argentina. But my hints meld -- Ottmar Hitzfeld had

:29:39. > :29:40.some tragic family news last night. Demichelis is one of six players who

:29:41. > :29:49.have been practising penalties for Argentina. They start very much the

:29:50. > :29:58.favourites. Switzerland will not make it easy for them. Both teams

:29:59. > :30:03.have defensive frailties. It could be down the left-hand side, as

:30:04. > :30:08.Robbie Savage pointed out, the Swiss fancy their chances of getting at

:30:09. > :30:16.Zabaleta. The referee checking with the fourth of, off we go.

:30:17. > :30:28.How do you see it going, Mark? If the Swiss can make the front four

:30:29. > :30:28.defend for Argentina, Switzerland a much better going forward, as

:30:29. > :30:54.everyone knows by now. Di Maria starting very wide on the

:30:55. > :30:59.left side. He has been too narrow too often in this World Cup for

:31:00. > :31:00.Argentina. Too inconsistent. Started brilliantly against Iran and then

:31:01. > :31:56.faded. Expected to get a good reception

:31:57. > :32:02.from the Corinthian fans here. Blue and white shirts all around the

:32:03. > :32:09.stadium. They've made every World Cup venue

:32:10. > :32:25.they've visited a dramatic venue, the Argentina fans.

:32:26. > :33:43.Had a bad knee injury towards the end of the season with Boca Juniors

:33:44. > :33:50.and is only really beginning to look sharp again now.

:33:51. > :34:01.Lavezzi really seriously tucked in on the right and playing in front of

:34:02. > :34:13.Zabaleta. Started very much as a 4-4-2 really.

:34:14. > :34:30.Can he button-hole Messi into a position? No.

:34:31. > :34:43.Viewers may remember these two teams meeting in England in 1966. It was

:34:44. > :34:47.at Hillsborough. An Argentina victory took them through that day

:34:48. > :35:24.to play England. Di Maria held back.

:35:25. > :35:32.They want him booked, Lichtsteiner. As long as the referee is

:35:33. > :35:37.consistent. I think other referees here in these finals would have

:35:38. > :35:46.pulled out a yellow card for that. Quite rightly, as well. Djourou has

:35:47. > :35:58.gone into the game on a yellow card and so too Rojo.

:35:59. > :36:51.It's a decent enough header away by Djourou.

:36:52. > :37:04.One win in six attempts against south American opposition for

:37:05. > :37:18.Switzerland, it was here, they beat Ecuador in Brasilia.

:37:19. > :37:39.Inler, the Swiss captain, very experienced.

:37:40. > :37:48.A great roar goes up from the Brazilians in the crowd every time

:37:49. > :37:54.the Swiss pick it up. They've got the corner. On that particular

:37:55. > :37:59.passage of play, Argentina defensively look extremely nervous.

:38:00. > :38:04.Garay's clearance wasn't good enough. If Iran had better strikers

:38:05. > :38:08.they would have famously beaten Argentina. They couldn't finish off

:38:09. > :38:14.the chances they created against what looked like a static Argentina

:38:15. > :38:31.defence that day. Nigeria created, as well.

:38:32. > :38:58.A free kick given for a challenge. He is lucky, he gave the ball away.

:38:59. > :39:01.A free kick against Drmic, it was. He combined very well with Shaqiri

:39:02. > :39:47.when they beat Honduras. Posing some problems down the left,

:39:48. > :40:09.Di Maria. Pulled him back again. A sea of blue and white. A huge

:40:10. > :40:25.noise comes out of these travelling Argentina supporters.

:40:26. > :40:35.Djourou with a header away. Two crosses have been dealt with

:40:36. > :40:49.extremely well by Djourou. Some of the pictures before of the

:40:50. > :40:59.Argentina supporters, one was dressed as the Pope. Well, I

:41:00. > :41:13.presume. A real feature of the competition, the fancy dress.

:41:14. > :41:20.That's what you get with Djourou, looks very capable and competent.

:41:21. > :41:29.The next minute looks like he's never played before. Can't remember

:41:30. > :41:33.a World Cup where so many supporters and big groups mixing happily with

:41:34. > :41:41.other big groups from opposition countries. You go to a restaurant,

:41:42. > :41:42.30 from Mexico and 30 from Germany, Australia still here, lots of

:41:43. > :42:01.English still here. Good pressure from Argentina.

:42:02. > :42:20.Pressure on the ball and the man. Switzerland will be hoping Shaqiri

:42:21. > :42:21.stays fit. He does have a history of thigh and hamstring injuries,

:42:22. > :43:02.especially this season. That was a clever ball. Hardly broke

:43:03. > :43:53.stride to play it. Got away from Behrami who switched off.

:43:54. > :44:06.Pele amongst the supporters. They still call him The Goal King here.

:44:07. > :44:11.One TVed a hert has him sitting in a -- one TV advert has him sitting in

:44:12. > :44:44.a throne. In comes the challenge. Two of them

:44:45. > :45:26.straight around him. had agreed a deal for Diego Costa

:45:27. > :45:37.finally. That news going around the stadium. Behrami and Inler getting

:45:38. > :45:47.in each other's way. That will be dealt with by Benaglio. No pressure

:45:48. > :45:52.on the cross, Messi originally winning the ball back. That is their

:45:53. > :46:03.first attack from the right-hand side so far. He made a great save

:46:04. > :46:10.late on against Honduras, Benaglio. Behrami and Inler were barely

:46:11. > :46:22.talking to each other at the end of the season at Napoli.

:46:23. > :46:41.Argentinian Turow. -- throw. Argentina lost at this stage against

:46:42. > :47:07.Rumania back in 1994. -- Rumania to -- Romania. Roy Hodgson will be

:47:08. > :47:17.closely following this one, Switzerland play England in the

:47:18. > :47:32.European Championship qualifiers. Di Maria just pointing to the number of

:47:33. > :47:43.fouls were made against him. Di Maria or not keep that one in. --

:47:44. > :47:50.will not keep that one in. He has been the most likely so far, Di

:47:51. > :48:01.Maria. All of the talk beforehand was Lavezzi coming in for the

:48:02. > :48:08.injured Sergio Aguero taking the play down the right-hand side. But

:48:09. > :48:24.it is clear they are taking it to Di Maria. This is Xhaka. Xhaka is 21,

:48:25. > :48:36.Shaqiri 22, a lot of prodigious young talent in the midfield.

:48:37. > :48:49.Rodriguez pressurised by Lavezzi. Have they decided their new manager?

:48:50. > :49:01.He is leaving, Hitzfeld the Bosnian, Wladimir Petkovic is taking

:49:02. > :49:21.over. The winners of this will face the

:49:22. > :49:32.winners of the second round match tonight in Brasilia on Sunday.

:49:33. > :49:41.Rodriguez did brilliantly there. Xhaka, suddenly Lichtsteiner. Just

:49:42. > :49:51.delaying the pass, the tackle coming in. It looked as if Messi was the

:49:52. > :50:00.favourite. He struggles and stumbles, still gets there.

:50:01. > :50:10.I wonder how long he will be a Wolfsburg player? Very highly rated.

:50:11. > :50:26.I think Sunderland were interested once upon a time. Was that a foul on

:50:27. > :50:36.Behrami? It is a foul, do not know what they are moaning about, Di

:50:37. > :50:45.Maria. He got a bad injury at West Ham. Crucial ligament injury.

:50:46. > :51:11.Hitzfeld looking on. Hitzfeld and Sabella very different characters.

:51:12. > :51:19.Messi wanted a bit too much time, Inler coming in, the referee quite

:51:20. > :51:25.right to give the free kick against Mascherano. Good refereeing, trying

:51:26. > :51:36.to let the situation develop, playing advantage. Mascherano trying

:51:37. > :51:43.to pressurise the referee. He does like to whinge, doesn't he? Another

:51:44. > :51:44.former West Ham man, of course. Seven games before we went to

:51:45. > :52:03.Liverpool. We have had 20 minutes, quite

:52:04. > :52:11.honestly, nothing has really happened.

:52:12. > :52:19.Sepp Blatter is in the crowd, I can tell you. We wait be seeing any

:52:20. > :52:22.close-ups of him. I imagine they have shied away from that. -- we

:52:23. > :52:46.will not be seen. They're very little movement

:52:47. > :52:53.upfront, if at all. -- there is very little movement. We saw four years

:52:54. > :52:57.ago what Switzerland could do to fancied teams, when they beat Spain

:52:58. > :53:09.in the group stages. Messi combining with Di Maria, in

:53:10. > :53:36.the narrow position. Gago with the little flick. Here is

:53:37. > :53:43.Rodriguez. At the moment Lavezzi is playing down the left for Argentina.

:53:44. > :53:55.Here is Messi, away from Behrami, Messi with the turn, looking for

:53:56. > :54:01.Higuain. Di Maria. He was tagged. The referee will have to pull out a

:54:02. > :54:03.card sooner or later. Probably around five or six fouls on Di

:54:04. > :54:37.Maria. Messi, looks like he was struggling,

:54:38. > :54:42.but stronger than he looks. They were the highest scorers in South

:54:43. > :54:45.American qualifying, they have a free kick to open the scoring in Sao

:54:46. > :54:53.Paulo. The little magician on the ball, what can the ganja? That is

:54:54. > :55:04.headed over. -- what can he conjure? It is almost behind him, a

:55:05. > :55:25.tough chance. Very difficult to score.

:55:26. > :55:36.Headed on by Xhaka. Shaqiri battling away, he was fouled. The referee's

:55:37. > :56:00.assistant has given that one. The foul was for Garay pulling him

:56:01. > :56:06.back. Jonas Eriksson is a full-time referee, a multi millionaire,

:56:07. > :56:16.selling his media rights company. He does this for fun. Good for him.

:56:17. > :56:43.Shaqiri is still wide. Gago was with him. Corner. Argentina have won

:56:44. > :56:56.their last three second round ties, under pressure. That is edged away.

:56:57. > :57:08.Coming to Lavezzi. Shaqiri. Another corner. Argentina were all over the

:57:09. > :57:17.place. Again two 11 for the corner. Full-back, a good save! The shot was

:57:18. > :57:32.by Xhaka. -- that was pulled back. Again, Romero called into action. He

:57:33. > :57:39.could only save it with his feet. The Swiss carrying a threat. That'll

:57:40. > :57:43.came from the short corner where Argentina were asleep. They have

:57:44. > :57:49.been working on that over the last couple of days. Trying to increase

:57:50. > :57:53.the mobility of the defenders, keeping them switched on. Argentina

:57:54. > :58:11.have? Would you believe it? Messi in the channel. Chased by

:58:12. > :58:19.three. Still Di Maria. A bit ponderous. Lavezzi with a header.

:58:20. > :58:38.Lavezzi. That could be their first shot. Out

:58:39. > :58:46.of a little bit of nothing. 12 goals for Paris St Germain this season.

:58:47. > :58:56.Always the first to be substituted. Great run by Zabaleta. Di Maria. The

:58:57. > :59:11.Swiss getting bodies around. It is a corner. They are swarming around

:59:12. > :59:25.Argentina when the ball gets close to the Swiss penalty box. Acrobatic,

:59:26. > :59:37.but ineffective. In comes the corner, a good attack by good --

:59:38. > :59:45.Garay and stop a great ball, just getting in front of the defender. He

:59:46. > :59:54.did well not to touch it, when you look at that. That was a big chance.

:59:55. > :00:18.It was. He knows it. He has not scored for his country. A free kick

:00:19. > :00:26.here the way of Argentina, was it for Inler on Higuain? We will never

:00:27. > :01:13.know. Might have lifted his foot in the tackle.

:01:14. > :01:18.That probably sums Djourou up, looked like he was going to give it

:01:19. > :01:39.away two or three occasions and got himself away from the problem.

:01:40. > :01:55.Good defending by the leftback again.

:01:56. > :02:11.Messi already a record-breaker in Spanish football. 354 goals for

:02:12. > :02:44.Barcelona. How many will he get? 59% of possession so far for

:02:45. > :03:34.Argentina. They've conceded a free kick here. A daft foul by Fernandez.

:03:35. > :04:09.The boos and whistles are from the Brazilian supporters in the crowd,

:04:10. > :04:55.all behind Switzerland. Towards the near post. Pushed away

:04:56. > :05:30.by Romero. It wasn't convincing but it was effective.

:05:31. > :05:48.There's the first booking. Xhaka it was. Might be his first tackle, as

:05:49. > :05:53.well, but it was adding up for the whole team really. He was wanting to

:05:54. > :06:29.dance as well! He went to Hamburg and the manager

:06:30. > :06:37.there now described him as a stabilising influence. That was a

:06:38. > :06:38.good block from the goalkeeper. It begs the question who they had

:06:39. > :07:23.before Djourou then, doesn't it? Nobody's been able to go past him at

:07:24. > :08:01.all, Rodriguez. Argentina will get Di Maria back to

:08:02. > :08:12.that left side knowing Xhaka is booked.

:08:13. > :08:22.Switzerland on the counter. Drmic. The keeper almost stayed back. Well

:08:23. > :08:27.positioned to save a weak finish. He is very, very fortunate, Romero. He

:08:28. > :08:31.thought about it, stopped, thought about it again. In the end, it's

:08:32. > :08:34.such a poor finish from Drmic, should have been 1-0 to Switzerland.

:08:35. > :08:41.A fantastic opportunity. So hesitant. You almost felt it in the

:08:42. > :08:52.crowd. When is he going to come? Argentina gifted them the chance on

:08:53. > :08:55.the halfway line anyway. A really big opportunity for Switzerland.

:08:56. > :09:04.They've had the better of the opportunities.

:09:05. > :09:15.The flag is up. Offside, I think. Lavezzi looks along the line. That

:09:16. > :09:20.was a bit of - the mess a first. Look at the goalkeeper. Twice, three

:09:21. > :09:37.times. He is in absolute no-man's-land in the end. Lucky boy!

:09:38. > :10:57.Knows what a chance that was. Scored against Croatia, Drmic.

:10:58. > :11:08.Drmic has won the foul. Quite strong, Drmic. He doesn't look like

:11:09. > :11:16.he is, but he is. He is just under the 6ft mark. He is certainly

:11:17. > :11:20.putting himself about. Lacks a bit of composure in front of goal, it

:11:21. > :11:34.has to be said. Yeah, which we have just seen.

:11:35. > :11:49.A foul and then we have... Zabaleta was out very quickly, as well to

:11:50. > :11:58.Mehmedi. This is a chance now for Di Maria. Showing the movement of Messi

:11:59. > :12:29.and the involvement. They've done well so far, Switzerland.

:12:30. > :13:15.At the moment the biggest sort of influence on the game is Shaqiri.

:13:16. > :13:24.Always looking to find this little man, Messi. Good chance here. Back

:13:25. > :13:33.to Messi. Nearly came through to him. A bit of a muted cry from the

:13:34. > :13:54.fans for handball. Hit one of the Swiss defenders.

:13:55. > :14:04.Concern is growing amongst the Argentine legions. This is the way

:14:05. > :14:11.they've been in the previous three games, though.

:14:12. > :14:24.Drmic to the left. Shaqiri will arrive late. Drmic goes

:14:25. > :14:30.for a corner. Came off Fernandez. A corner for Switzerland. A little bit

:14:31. > :14:41.lucky, Fernandez. He was away, Drmic. Came off the shin.

:14:42. > :14:44.Two balls on the pitch at the moment. Shaqiri will take the

:14:45. > :14:48.corner. moment. Shaqiri will take the

:14:49. > :14:55.Mehmedi has gone tight in on the goalkeeper.

:14:56. > :15:28.thought it would be expensive, with a flow of goals. Messi has not been

:15:29. > :15:34.able to conjure anything. At half-time in Sao Paulo, in this

:15:35. > :15:48.round of 16 game, they go off goalless. -- expansive.

:15:49. > :15:55.What an awful World Cup! Disappointing. That was a real

:15:56. > :16:00.stinker, everything we said the Swiss could not do, they have not

:16:01. > :16:06.done. They defended well. They have worked really hard. If the first man

:16:07. > :16:12.does not get Messi, the second man will. They have had the two best

:16:13. > :16:19.chances. Hitzfeld have got their tactics spot on, the way many teams

:16:20. > :16:27.play against Barcelona, crowding Messi out. When Messi gets the

:16:28. > :16:33.ball, they have Behrami and Inler, crowding him out. The tactics are

:16:34. > :16:37.spot-on. Exactly the same way that Bosnia played against Argentina.

:16:38. > :16:42.Very difficult to do it for 90 minutes. I have two show some more

:16:43. > :16:53.invention, more pace, Argentina. -- they have to show more invention.

:16:54. > :16:59.They have very good players, Messi, Di Maria, Higuain. You have to give

:17:00. > :17:05.credit to Switzerland, they have defended well, and had two good

:17:06. > :17:13.chances. The first one a decent save from Romero. These in short corner,

:17:14. > :17:20.a bit of magic, step over, pulling it back, and that is a good save. A

:17:21. > :17:26.decent effort. The follow-up, he saves it. I think Switzerland's

:17:27. > :17:34.tactics are working. Sitting deep, trying to get them on the break. It

:17:35. > :17:40.has not been pretty, but it is working. Shaqiri has been the best

:17:41. > :17:42.player on the pitch. Something happens every time he's on the ball.

:17:43. > :17:47.Messi has to do better. happens every time he's on the ball.

:17:48. > :17:52.Messi has to do better. A clear-cut opportunity for Drmic. I don't know

:17:53. > :17:58.what was worse, the finish of the goalkeeping. This is a great

:17:59. > :18:04.chance. Clean through. On the goalkeeper. He does not come! We

:18:05. > :18:08.were talking about that last night. In the end, a pass back. The

:18:09. > :18:13.technique is all wrong, the body shape is all wrong. That is what

:18:14. > :18:19.Switzerland have tried to do, defending well, a little ball from

:18:20. > :18:25.Shaqiri through to Drmic. That is a poor finish. He will be happy with

:18:26. > :18:32.the way they defended, disappointed they are not leading. Ultimately it

:18:33. > :18:36.may cost them. The so-called lesser team has missed opportunities,

:18:37. > :18:42.paying for it. Can you keep the talent quiet for 90 minutes? We saw

:18:43. > :18:47.it in the first game, with Messi, did not get a kick, but 90 minutes

:18:48. > :18:51.is a different matter. He will get a chance, but the disappointing thing

:18:52. > :18:58.for the Argentinians, they have absolutely nothing. Do you still

:18:59. > :19:04.insist they have better players, Ira member some of them? This team have

:19:05. > :19:11.some big name players, doing really well in the Champions League,

:19:12. > :19:19.Premier League. In 1986, Argentina beat a substandard England team, at

:19:20. > :19:25.Belgian team. We are always substandard. How have they managed

:19:26. > :19:29.Messi? I was talking about Behrami, they have pushed him into that area,

:19:30. > :19:35.if Inler doesn't get you, Behrami will. He is looking for the ball,

:19:36. > :19:40.going deeper and deeper. You can see the midfielders forcing him back.

:19:41. > :19:46.That is where they miss a creative midfielder. They need someone to

:19:47. > :19:57.give him the ball high up the park. Crowded out. As Alan said, Bosnia

:19:58. > :20:04.played very similar. Nowhere to go. As good a player as he is, to get

:20:05. > :20:07.through that, difficult. He gets frustrated, Di Maria running into

:20:08. > :20:17.people. Higuain has been nonexistent. We highlighted the one

:20:18. > :20:23.in two touch passing, but Mascherano has not got it. Not causing any

:20:24. > :20:33.problems. Mascherano is playing the holding role, he does not get in the

:20:34. > :20:48.final third. Even in 2006, with Rick Almay -- Riquelme. They haven't they

:20:49. > :20:54.want to spread it. It might be worth ten sitting back, to try and draw

:20:55. > :21:03.Switzerland out. We get the odd glimpse of what he is capable of.

:21:04. > :21:07.The odd moments of magic. This means we are clutching at straws. Very

:21:08. > :21:19.good movement. A great ball. Nobody reading it. He has not really been

:21:20. > :21:26.far enough upfield. He is having to go further and further back to get

:21:27. > :21:29.the ball. Classic Messi. He gets past Behrami, but Rodriguez makes

:21:30. > :21:40.the tackle. Arguably could have been a foul. We have seen it against

:21:41. > :21:46.Iran, the first at sensational. If that is all we have got, means we

:21:47. > :21:56.are struggling. This was good, get it back, through, nearly. Again,

:21:57. > :22:01.crowded out. I suppose, the more the other Argentinian players failed to

:22:02. > :22:08.produce any thing, the easier it is to stop messy and stop -- stop Messi

:22:09. > :22:14.stop Argentina. That is it. You look at the first half, you see how bad

:22:15. > :22:18.they are, if they don't step up to the plate collectively, they could

:22:19. > :22:23.be on the way home. This is the first part of a double-header on

:22:24. > :22:30.BBC1. Tonight at engine switches to Salvador where Belgian meet the USA.

:22:31. > :22:46.-- the attention. Dempsey, what a strike. Fellaini, he has got it.

:22:47. > :23:01.Jones, it is in. The kid has done it. It is in. John Brooks heading

:23:02. > :23:06.into the USA. -- for the USA. Already in position, Jason Mohammed.

:23:07. > :23:12.Welcome to the Arena Fonte Nova, which has seen 21 goals scored in

:23:13. > :23:19.four World Cup matches. All starting with the Netherlands 5-1 demolition

:23:20. > :23:24.of Spain. Now another potential cracker, as the USA take on the

:23:25. > :23:29.hugely talented Belgian side. I have been talking to Tim Howard, who says

:23:30. > :23:35.they are relaxed ahead of their last 16 tie. Very comfortable, no

:23:36. > :23:40.pressure on us. I think part of that is what I have talked about, this is

:23:41. > :23:44.a very young group, when you have young guys, they don't know any

:23:45. > :23:52.better. They are excited, they want to play cards, get on the pitch. The

:23:53. > :24:04.Belgian team are so young. We were reading the stats, 27 years old,

:24:05. > :24:11.already on 60,-70 caps. A special team, athletically, they will pose a

:24:12. > :24:16.threat. Once we get a foothold in the game, we want to pin them back.

:24:17. > :24:21.They are a top team, they worry us. It is good to be worried, and make

:24:22. > :24:35.sure we have all the bases covered. We had to focus on the front five,

:24:36. > :24:38.they are brilliant. I think our X Factor is how we utilise the ball,

:24:39. > :24:47.and how quickly we can get after them. We want to stay compact, and

:24:48. > :24:52.make them work. Any time you get a team like Belgium, Germany,

:24:53. > :24:58.Portugal, who like to get forward, it is a cat and mouse game, they

:24:59. > :25:01.want to get the ball off you so they don't have to defend, and the secret

:25:02. > :25:06.is to pin them back, and make their front players chase back and do the

:25:07. > :25:09.dog work. Jason has been busy travelling the

:25:10. > :25:14.country finding out about Brazilian culture, he has tried his hand at

:25:15. > :25:24.traditional Brazilian much Allah 's, he is game for anything. --

:25:25. > :25:28.traditional martial arts. Brazil is known for its dancing,

:25:29. > :25:52.betting receipts they, they like to do things differently. -- but here

:25:53. > :25:57.in receive -- in Recife. I have never done before, he says I need an

:25:58. > :26:04.umbrella. Going faster, higher, using the umbrella. This is good,

:26:05. > :26:11.not a bad start. We are rocking the free world. How important is this to

:26:12. > :26:17.the area? It is a traditional dance. On the streets, by the common

:26:18. > :26:22.people, very important to the city, to the culture of everybody. That is

:26:23. > :26:42.a bit more difficult. Can I stay like this? Come and report on the

:26:43. > :26:51.World Cup. It came from the Kapil -- capoeira. In the past, the umbrella

:26:52. > :26:56.was like a weapon. The capoeira, they used to fight, using the

:26:57. > :27:04.umbrella to protect themselves. It started to be dancing on the stage,

:27:05. > :27:14.it got smaller, more colourful, nowadays to help the balance. I feel

:27:15. > :27:19.like I'm in the Happy Mondays. Look at his feet. I cannot do that. I

:27:20. > :27:29.have not seen anyone do that since Shaking Stevens. What about

:27:30. > :27:35.visitors, do they have a go? The main goal in the museum, the visitor

:27:36. > :27:40.comes, seeing the exhibition, and giving it a go. That was another hot

:27:41. > :27:56.and sweaty experience, thank you very much. Now it is time to see a

:27:57. > :28:02.master do frevo. Take it away. I wonder who invented that? It was

:28:03. > :28:11.better than the football. You cannot teach him anything. I was far

:28:12. > :28:14.better. I was giving it the samba. There are just nine games remaining,

:28:15. > :28:42.plenty more to look forward to this summer.

:28:43. > :28:48.Welcome to the friendly games, pleasantries starting on the 23rd of

:28:49. > :28:55.July. This year's Commonwealth Games sees

:28:56. > :29:08.the new sports frevo! Obviously not. We need a goal, we have seen all the

:29:09. > :29:15.big teams, thinking they are a good side, but I cannot see them winning

:29:16. > :29:21.it. Nobody will win this World Cup. You take Messi out of the equation,

:29:22. > :29:25.the rest have to do better, they had to start working the Swiss defence.

:29:26. > :29:39.I still think there is a mistake in there. They have to concentrate on

:29:40. > :29:43.John -- Johan Djourou. It may free some space up for the big four

:29:44. > :29:48.upfront. They were not getting anything. Take Messi out of this

:29:49. > :29:58.team, there are bridge, take Neymar out of the Brazilian team, they are

:29:59. > :30:02.also average. -- they are average. You will remember that Switzerland

:30:03. > :30:07.beat Spain in four years ago in the opening game, can they do the same

:30:08. > :30:16.to Argentina? We will see with Mark Lawrenson and Jonathan Pearce.

:30:17. > :30:19.Thank you very much, Gary. There have been no changes to either side

:30:20. > :30:25.at half-time. Switzerland will be defending the goal to our left side.

:30:26. > :30:32.They're all in red. Di Maria flattered open to deceive. They --

:30:33. > :30:36.only to deceive. They switched him from flank to flank. As soon as

:30:37. > :30:40.Messi have had the ball they've smothered him. Switzerland had the

:30:41. > :30:44.best chances of that first 45 minutes. Yeah, we think we probably

:30:45. > :30:48.guess what their manager said to them, the Swiss, but from

:30:49. > :30:50.Argentina's point of view they really need to start and just move

:30:51. > :31:03.the ball a little bit quicker. A lovely sunny day, 23C, low

:31:04. > :31:05.humidity, perfect for football. It's not that hot. It's not the heat

:31:06. > :31:24.that's going to stop you running. Argentina have a free kick because

:31:25. > :31:32.there was a needless challenge on Lavezzi. It was a bad pass. Just

:31:33. > :31:36.picking up on one or two points made in the studio, we asked a few of the

:31:37. > :31:41.Argentina reporters beforehand, would they be happy to create space

:31:42. > :31:49.by drawing Switzerland on to them? There's no great confidence amongst

:31:50. > :32:02.followers. It's a corner. The ball came a long

:32:03. > :32:04.way to Messi. Great ball. We talk about moving it quicker, that's

:32:05. > :32:22.exactly the example we need to see. He has played 102 matches now for

:32:23. > :33:10.Argentina. Messi will take this one. A foul. Xhaka was booked in the

:33:11. > :33:19.first half. Not only that, I thought for a split second if the referee

:33:20. > :33:21.let's the play run on... Di Maria was cutting inside. Lucky to stay on

:33:22. > :33:27.there. Yeah. It's been dull so far. Can the

:33:28. > :34:11.little magician brighten the day? A free run now for Xhaka. No free

:34:12. > :34:50.kick was given. Another big name team that's looked

:34:51. > :35:00.far from convincing in the knockout stages, Colombia really have been

:35:01. > :35:07.the most impressive team. Yes. And that's including male wholesale --

:35:08. > :35:14.included making wholesale changes for their games.

:35:15. > :35:32.He has gone for it. And Romero has kept the ball in play. And kept it

:35:33. > :35:37.in the box. The assistant referee was sluggish to get up with play.

:35:38. > :35:45.Doesn't convince at all, does he? A little bit more pace about

:35:46. > :35:57.Argentina perhaps? That's a lovely ball forward.

:35:58. > :36:06.Shaqiri. Flag has stayed down. Drmic.

:36:07. > :36:12.By the time Drmic gets the ball, the angle is closed down. Virtually

:36:13. > :36:24.impossible to score from there. A defender in his way. Narrow angle.

:36:25. > :36:29.I am not sure Argentina have raised the pace of the game at all, just

:36:30. > :37:33.that one move really. Well played, Garay. The game is

:37:34. > :37:53.starting to stretch, that's the first thing we should say.

:37:54. > :38:04.Lichtsteiner loves to get forward. Sao Paulo has seen a Fairview

:38:05. > :38:22.fullbacks born here done that. From there it would have taken

:38:23. > :38:25.something. It would. First time he has really come forward and joined

:38:26. > :38:36.the attack, Rodriguez. Love to know what Sabella would be

:38:37. > :39:20.thinking about his team at the moment.

:39:21. > :39:28.They're thinking about making substitutions. Are they too

:39:29. > :39:34.one-paced midfield? They're very, very similar. The move just before,

:39:35. > :39:39.Mascherano came and got the ball out off the goalkeeper, it's a long way

:39:40. > :39:49.forward from there. It's very kind of deliberate. Attacking options

:39:50. > :39:55.limited for Argentina, no Aguero. At first they thought he would be out

:39:56. > :40:05.of the World Cup finals. More optimistic about him now. They've

:40:06. > :40:14.used Palacio. He has come on in a cameo substitute's role against

:40:15. > :40:19.Iran. Rodriguez is antivity. -- is an alternative. Only one Argentina

:40:20. > :40:24.player in the opposition penalty area from Rojo's cross. Just one.

:40:25. > :40:32.Higuain. Messi still holding in a deep

:40:33. > :40:41.position. That was squeezed away by

:40:42. > :40:54.Lichtsteiner. Great ball out to Lavezzi. Too high

:40:55. > :41:36.for Higuain. Came into this game, Argentina, with

:41:37. > :41:41.the highest possession rate of any country but they haven't created

:41:42. > :41:48.enough clear-cut opportunities. Their movement has been sluggish.

:41:49. > :42:15.Plan A, the Messi plan, is clearly THE plan.

:42:16. > :42:50.Just a little bit of a realisation now from Argentina that they've to

:42:51. > :43:07.raise the pace of the game. Four of the last seven goals in the

:43:08. > :43:10.World Cup have come from range from outside the box. They don't seem to

:43:11. > :44:01.get enough bodies forward to the penalty area for a scruffy goal.

:44:02. > :44:02.freedom. To Lavezzi, on to Rojo. The keeper just adjusted his body in

:44:03. > :44:27.time. I think it was a cross. Argentina are beginning to get their

:44:28. > :44:32.game together and move up through the gears.

:44:33. > :44:39.A corner kick. This is the Rojo thing. I think he's

:44:40. > :45:06.gone to cross. Four corners apiece. Messi to Gago.

:45:07. > :45:18.Di Maria goes past Rodriguez. What was he doing? Showboating. You

:45:19. > :45:36.cannot be serious. That is Rojo. Not Di Maria. Here it is. If you were

:45:37. > :45:40.his team-mate, you would be going bananas. That was the first time

:45:41. > :45:53.they got behind Rodriguez in the whole game.

:45:54. > :46:03.Schar has made a mistake, getting caught in possession, he has failed

:46:04. > :46:07.Messi. They want to getting booked. Just dawdling a little bit. Messi

:46:08. > :46:19.pinching it away. We have heard that Roger Federer is

:46:20. > :46:30.watching the Swiss team at Wimbledon. At the moment, they are

:46:31. > :46:39.having to defend stoutly, Argentina are squeezing up the pressure.

:46:40. > :46:54.I taught Rojo may have strayed offside there. -- thought. Di Maria

:46:55. > :47:03.on his left foot. Behrami doesn't half work hard. Mascherano.

:47:04. > :47:18.Opportunities on his left hand side, Di Maria, all left foot.

:47:19. > :47:26.Remarkable in a World Cup competition that a player would not

:47:27. > :47:33.trust his right foot to get the ball in in that good position. Rojo, a

:47:34. > :47:53.better ball in, the keeper saves well from a header from a grain --

:47:54. > :48:05.Gonzalo Higuain. The goal seems to be coming. Will not come with

:48:06. > :48:18.crosses like that. Won backed by Mehmedi. -- back. Inler prowling the

:48:19. > :48:26.midfield. He is away, changing direction. He played it towards

:48:27. > :48:37.Drmic, courting two minds. I think she clearly was the better option.

:48:38. > :48:47.-- Shaqiri. Higuain making his move. That was too easy to defend from

:48:48. > :48:51.Lavezzi. That is a misplaced pass. Switzerland beginning to look tired.

:48:52. > :49:05.They are getting overrun down their right hand side. Argentina's left.

:49:06. > :49:12.They need to stick Shaqiri in front of Lichtsteiner for a few minutes.

:49:13. > :49:25.Messi, fair challenge, Inler and Behrami combining. Behrami brings it

:49:26. > :49:35.out. In towards Xhaka. He was not expecting the pass. He has called a

:49:36. > :49:43.young Bastian Schweinsteiger, Hitzfeld. He has conceded a corner.

:49:44. > :50:01.-- called him. Are we going to see another big-name

:50:02. > :50:14.finally get over the line? Lavezzi with the corner. Fernandez is in

:50:15. > :50:22.there. Off Inler's head. Messi, brilliant. Deflected away by

:50:23. > :50:33.Djourou. Coming over to the left-hand side. A poor cross. Inler

:50:34. > :50:45.can get it away. A really good spell for Argentina. Di Maria gave Lavezzi

:50:46. > :50:54.too much work to do. Switzerland will make a substitution. It will be

:50:55. > :51:05.Gelson Fernandes. He scored against Spain, four years ago, he will come

:51:06. > :51:11.on for Xhaka. Fernandes will give them a bit of protection. He had a

:51:12. > :51:23.couple of years at Manchester City and Leicester. Lacking the impetus

:51:24. > :51:28.of his younger days, perhaps. Hitzfeld is a wily manager, seeing

:51:29. > :51:36.the problems Argentina were causing down the right-hand side, making the

:51:37. > :51:49.change to shore up that hole. He gets his first challenging. --

:51:50. > :52:09.challenge in. Argentina look for Higuain. Di Maria. Mascherano. Good

:52:10. > :52:27.decision by the referee, Inler brushing past Di Maria. Yes, can

:52:28. > :52:40.they take advantage of it? Zabaleta. Argentina switching it. Messi into

:52:41. > :52:47.the gap, a good ball. Zabaleta, a chance for Gonzalo Higuain. They

:52:48. > :53:02.look for him again, from Rojo. Messi! The chance for he -- Gonzalo

:53:03. > :53:05.Higuain is what your number nine fries on. I would like to see that

:53:06. > :53:30.opportunity again. A great ball in. A French match director today. His

:53:31. > :53:41.signature is very much the dramatic close-up, a bead of sweat flying off

:53:42. > :53:55.the forehead. As opposed to the chance we did not see from Higuain!

:53:56. > :54:01.That one is lumped away. Inler. Gelson Fernandes. Shaqiri. He has

:54:02. > :54:04.been quiet for a while. Trying to get it onto the left foot, but

:54:05. > :54:30.Mascherano saw the danger. Good recovery challenge there. He

:54:31. > :54:45.fouled Rojo in the end. Rojo was very strong, wasn't it?

:54:46. > :54:48.Grabbing the shirt of the 24-year-old Sporting Lisbon

:54:49. > :55:13.defender. Di Maria. Rojo back to him. His

:55:14. > :55:32.touch was a bit too heavy. Fabian Schar clears it away.

:55:33. > :55:46.Just over 20 minutes to go. Belgium versus the USA tonight. On the BBC.

:55:47. > :56:05.The winners of that play the winners of this one. Rojo. A good ball out

:56:06. > :56:10.to Zabaleta. That is a great run by Zabaleta, the pass did not match the

:56:11. > :56:18.quality of the run. Mascherano found himself in the same position a bit

:56:19. > :56:23.earlier, making that run. He has been a wonderful coach over the

:56:24. > :56:30.years, Ottmar Hitzfeld. He was has a sense of calmness and serenity about

:56:31. > :56:35.him. Anyone of a few coaches to win the Champions League with two teams,

:56:36. > :56:49.Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Over 1000 club games. Di Maria could

:56:50. > :56:57.not keep that in play. -- only one of.

:56:58. > :57:18.That is an Argentinian throw. Maybe in opportunity for Ricky ?lvarez,

:57:19. > :57:27.Palacio is also a forward option. Fernandez can play wide. They must

:57:28. > :57:35.be thinking about making a change. It is Rodrigo Palacio. Waiting to

:57:36. > :57:42.come on. Another misplaced pass from Gago. This is Switzerland's bright

:57:43. > :57:56.spell. Switzerland had waited for their moment. Shaqiri. A Swiss

:57:57. > :58:04.throw. Taken quickly. Recovery by Fernandez.

:58:05. > :58:18.Shaqiri doing well. Mehmedi. He sliced that one poorly.

:58:19. > :58:35.He was cut down by Gelson Fernandes. No messing about. His third or

:58:36. > :59:02.fourth touch. That was cynically done. I think it is Lavezzi coming

:59:03. > :59:07.off. A crunching challenge. Palacio will come on. Ezequiel Lavezzi

:59:08. > :59:35.coming off. He has worked hard. You are supposed

:59:36. > :59:48.to do that! Will the quality come from this man? He has won a free

:59:49. > :59:57.kick. The Lazio's goal return poor for Argentinian, only three, scoring

:59:58. > :00:23.against Trinidad and Tobago. There is a striker as well. Nearly coming

:00:24. > :00:30.through to Fernandez. Palacio getting up in front of

:00:31. > :00:40.Higuain. They're almost stood on each other's toes. Always

:00:41. > :00:42.stretching, Palacio. Yeah, he was almost on his way down when he made

:00:43. > :01:15.connection. Which of these teams has enough in

:01:16. > :01:43.the final 15 minutes? The Argentine coach has been talking

:01:44. > :01:46.about that extreme pace they've up front at times and the rest of the

:01:47. > :01:50.supporting players not being able to get up in support quickly enough and

:01:51. > :02:31.they were going to work on that, but it hasn't happened.

:02:32. > :02:42.Almost trying to front three now, Argentina. Higuain getting stronger

:02:43. > :02:50.as the day goes on. Di Maria with a cross. Headed down by Djourou.

:02:51. > :02:57.Zabaleta followed it up. Seven Swiss players in their own penalty area,

:02:58. > :03:04.plus the goalkeeper. Messi shapes to shoot. The keeper blocks. Argentina

:03:05. > :03:08.claim a penalty. The keeper is injured, that's the

:03:09. > :03:11.first thing. So this corner is not happening very quickly. I think

:03:12. > :03:22.that's what the Swiss are complaining about, a foul on the

:03:23. > :03:28.goalkeeper. The Argentinian fans behind the goal... Was there a foul?

:03:29. > :03:35.My first reaction would be no. This is Messi on the ball. Decent

:03:36. > :03:45.strike. Comes off the goalkeeper. That's impossible to say from there.

:03:46. > :03:53.Comes through the legs, as well. The goalkeeper does well. Can only see

:03:54. > :04:02.it late. Goalkeeper doesn't foul him certainly.

:04:03. > :04:09.In fairness to the refer rye by actually doing nothing -- to the

:04:10. > :04:15.referee, by actually doing nothing, he's done everything. Messi just

:04:16. > :04:31.touch it is. A brave save that is. He knows he is going to get kicked.

:04:32. > :04:49.That's the keeper's ball. He fumbled it away. Swung out before it came

:04:50. > :05:07.back, I think. Seemed to shovel that one away.

:05:08. > :05:19.A wily old tactician, Hitzfeld. Sad news that his brother passed away

:05:20. > :05:27.last night. He is staying for the rest of the competition. Whether

:05:28. > :05:47.it's 11 minutes, or another 90 in the quarter-finals. And more.

:05:48. > :05:54.Is this the Messi moment now? Up through the gears. Crowded out

:05:55. > :05:58.again. Yeah, quickly crowded out, as well.

:05:59. > :06:08.This is a free kick given away by Shaqiri.

:06:09. > :06:12.He is not happy! He won't be happy now because that free kick was

:06:13. > :06:25.absolutely wasted. Normally he has an understanding

:06:26. > :06:51.with Messi built up over the years, Gago. It's not great today.

:06:52. > :06:57.Surely blocked on the edge of the box? The referee says no. That's a

:06:58. > :07:15.foul on Drmic. Fair enough. Switzerland are going

:07:16. > :07:20.to make a substitution. They've been swapping places in the

:07:21. > :07:23.team throughout the tournament, Drmic, the 21-year-old centre

:07:24. > :08:10.forward, replaced by Seferovic. Are we about to have a late, late

:08:11. > :08:30.drama again in the round of 16? Decent defending. Wins a free kick.

:08:31. > :08:45.Better this time, Fernandez. Has been a better second half, mind

:08:46. > :09:25.you, that's not saying a lot, is it? Some terrific names left in the

:09:26. > :10:04.World Cup. Messi is hovering on the edge of the

:10:05. > :10:09.penalty area. Comes to the ball now. Zabaleta picked it up.

:10:10. > :10:40.Palacio in the middle. Away by Schar.

:10:41. > :10:46.Neither Lichtsteiner or Rodriguez has hardly got out of their half in

:10:47. > :11:14.the second half. A dull game in round two eight years

:11:15. > :11:16.ago it was 0-0, a poor 90 minutes and 120 minutes, Switzerland in

:11:17. > :11:29.Germany. Surely now the first goal would win

:11:30. > :11:56.it. Nothing wrong with a tackle there.

:11:57. > :12:01.Seferoviy has stayed down. - free kick goes the way of Messi. The

:12:02. > :12:17.referee is right on it. Oh, behave yourself! Nothing in that

:12:18. > :12:46.at all. Why go down like that? Palacio with that little trademark

:12:47. > :13:21.hairstyle. Hair as in singular! Can Switzerland dramatically snatch

:13:22. > :14:02.it? Rodriguez, one of the game's best

:14:03. > :14:09.players. Can Argentina break? They have men on the far side. Schar

:14:10. > :14:17.clears. That's got to be offside. It is.

:14:18. > :14:29.One or two players starting to lose concentration.

:14:30. > :14:40.Superb. Brilliantly done. Into the box. Palacio. Behrami squeezes it

:14:41. > :14:53.out again. Breathtaking from Messi. It was. And is.

:14:54. > :15:03.The keeper thought about coming, towards Higuain, Garay was there.

:15:04. > :15:17.Rodriguez wins the challenge. Stupid boy. Rojo. He has hurt himself in

:15:18. > :15:29.the process. No, he will be fine! He is hurt through guilt. That is him

:15:30. > :15:40.out of the quarterfinal. Should they go through. The thing is, there was

:15:41. > :15:51.another 70-80 metres to get to the Argentinian goal, it was mad. Daft.

:15:52. > :15:57.We will go to extra time. Unless there is something dramatic. That

:15:58. > :16:36.was brilliant. I wonder if they will look for

:16:37. > :16:41.Fabian Schar, the centre-half, he scored two headed goals against

:16:42. > :16:50.Norway in qualification, the top scorer. Fernandes is up as well.

:16:51. > :17:00.Argentina will need to keep a tight grip on Fabian Schar. Number 22. He

:17:01. > :17:15.is standing onside at the moment, back off Daly onside. In exams

:17:16. > :17:25.towards sharp. -- towards Schar. -- back onside. He was actually well

:17:26. > :17:33.policed. Could not keep it down. They have had chances in the air.

:17:34. > :17:45.Higuain will look back on the video of this uncomfortably.

:17:46. > :18:03.That was aimless. Rodriguez make sure. That was poor from Fernandez.

:18:04. > :18:24.A little bit jittery. He is in his 20s. Experience with Napoli.

:18:25. > :19:08.Won back by Messi, and the final whistle-blowers, -- whistle is

:19:09. > :19:19.blown. We will be back for extra time. For the fourth time in seven

:19:20. > :19:23.knockout games, we have extra time. If neither side can break the

:19:24. > :19:30.deadlock, we will have the third penalty shoot out of the tournament.

:19:31. > :19:37.Argentina pressing impressing, but you only thought it would come from

:19:38. > :19:40.Messi. I thought they improved marginally in the second half, but

:19:41. > :19:45.the Argentinian performance was littered with substandard

:19:46. > :19:50.performances. The any time they got it from back to front, once halfway

:19:51. > :19:58.through the second half, getting it quickly, and they got in. If Messi

:19:59. > :20:04.was not creating anything, they were in trouble. Switzerland stifled the

:20:05. > :20:08.game, very well. We have not seen too many teens parking the bus,

:20:09. > :20:15.Switzerland did it well. If I was Messi, I would be saying, any chance

:20:16. > :20:22.of any view pulling your finger out? They have been shocking. Big-name

:20:23. > :20:30.players. A chance for Higuain. He had to score. They got a decent

:20:31. > :20:40.position. Messi with the volley. A piece of brilliance. That was how

:20:41. > :20:45.the game would be opened up. You were thinking, this is it. He has it

:20:46. > :20:57.where he wanted it. A very good save. Getting down, getting the

:20:58. > :21:03.rebound, very brave. A good save. Higuain, Di Maria, they have been

:21:04. > :21:07.absolutely awful. Terrible from start to finish. Losing possession

:21:08. > :21:15.37 times. That could be a world record! They tried him on the right,

:21:16. > :21:22.on the left, cutting in... The number of times he cut in, hitting

:21:23. > :21:25.the front man. This footballer has been pretty majestic Aurier Madrid

:21:26. > :21:32.this year. Rate in the Champions League. Everybody can lose form.

:21:33. > :21:37.This is typical. You do this if you are playing brilliantly, you can get

:21:38. > :21:43.away with this. Having an absolute stinker. You have four players in

:21:44. > :21:47.the box. Getting in a good position, that very rarely happens

:21:48. > :21:55.getting in a position like that. Doing something like that. You do

:21:56. > :22:01.that when you are three four up. Messi should be saying, any chance

:22:02. > :22:11.of you, Di Maria, Higuain, having a go? To Messi's credit, he did not

:22:12. > :22:24.half get going. He had three or four players around him every time, kept

:22:25. > :22:34.on plugging away. I think Lawro called that right, that was across.

:22:35. > :22:43.-- a cross. You are looking for Higuain to come to the party. A good

:22:44. > :22:47.ball in, but easy for the keeper. Switzerland offering nothing in the

:22:48. > :22:52.second half. I think they are going for penalties. That is what they are

:22:53. > :22:58.hoping for. They will, they have worked so hard for 90 minutes. That

:22:59. > :23:06.was a great chance. Great little cross. The Swiss game plan has

:23:07. > :23:11.worked. If they played open like against the French, they would have

:23:12. > :23:16.suffered a similar result. If they go out and try and attack teams,

:23:17. > :23:19.that is what will happen. You have the feeling that if the Argentinians

:23:20. > :23:25.play a bit quicker, they will have some success. The only way

:23:26. > :23:31.Switzerland will play in extra time is exactly the same, even more so

:23:32. > :23:38.getting men behind the ball. It is up to the Argentinians to go and win

:23:39. > :23:44.the game. Argentina won Switzerland to come out and play. When they did

:23:45. > :23:55.get the ball, they were too slow in transition. Only one man can solve

:23:56. > :24:06.the problem... Messi. Another 30 minutes, here is Mark Lawrenson and

:24:07. > :24:10.Jonathan Pearce. Over 60,000 in the ground, most of them Argentinian

:24:11. > :24:14.supporters. Trying to get their team going at the start of extra time.

:24:15. > :24:21.Argentina still have a couple of substitutions to make. Switzerland

:24:22. > :24:25.have one change left to make. I don't think they will change the way

:24:26. > :24:27.they are playing. Argentina need to step up the quality of the final

:24:28. > :24:50.ball. Here is Zabaleta. The Manchester City defender has it

:24:51. > :24:56.again. A couple of times he has marauding forward, the final pass

:24:57. > :25:04.has been lacking. A good run by Palacio, aimed at him. This is the

:25:05. > :25:14.very capable Ricardo Rodriguez. Dawdling a bit. Palacio. That came

:25:15. > :25:24.off Djourou. The big-name countries in the second round have had their

:25:25. > :25:30.anxious moments, having to wait, Brazil, France, Germany or coming

:25:31. > :25:41.through. In comes the corner kick. The keeper came, did not quite make

:25:42. > :25:55.an impression from Garay. I am not sure whether he was trying to

:25:56. > :26:05.punch. He punches this time. Leo Messi. Fernando Gago. Away by Gelson

:26:06. > :26:24.Fernandes. That was a bit hopeful. Not a bad

:26:25. > :26:31.idea, certainly. The execution not quite good enough. This is the

:26:32. > :26:39.moment he comes, does not get there. Since I keep Parry is the Garay

:26:40. > :26:57.header. -- it seems like he parries the Garay header.

:26:58. > :27:04.Messi hesitated, surrounded, play on said the referee. Messi getting more

:27:05. > :27:09.and more frustrated. A decent cross in for separate --

:27:10. > :27:36.Seferovic. A chance for Palacio. The keeper

:27:37. > :27:56.came out, hesitant. That is risky. He has pushed off Higuain. He is all

:27:57. > :28:04.over him. That is dangerous for a centre-back, anywhere in the game.

:28:05. > :28:13.Garay is up from the back. Gago is there as well.

:28:14. > :28:18.The keeper had to save it again. It came off the back of Palacio's Aird.

:28:19. > :28:37.You are right. -- head. He did well to fashion that chance

:28:38. > :28:48.against the taller man. Rodriguez. Lichtsteiner. Whatever happens to

:28:49. > :28:59.Switzerland, they can hold their heads up high. Not pretty, but very

:29:00. > :29:03.effective in what they have done. A little spin, the Brazilians in the

:29:04. > :29:21.crowd loving it. That is as far as it goes. He got lucky. Behrami

:29:22. > :29:29.covering Fabian Schar there. Zabaleta left it for Mascherano, and

:29:30. > :29:47.vice versa. It is like the keystone cops out there. He has blocked him

:29:48. > :29:59.off. How on earth could he turned to the referee and protest? -- turn. He

:30:00. > :30:03.shouldn't. Sergio Romero has not looked greatly convincing. Inler has

:30:04. > :30:35.it. That is easy. They have dealt with

:30:36. > :30:41.the second ball well. Di Maria has given it away yet again. A little

:30:42. > :30:59.kick out at Gelson Fernandes. That is a big, optimistic effort.

:31:00. > :31:04.32 shots on goal in the game, apparently, I am being told by the

:31:05. > :31:08.stats. Not too sure. On goal, not on target, obviously. Argentina still

:31:09. > :31:29.bossing possession. 62%. Messi picked that up. It's out of

:31:30. > :31:54.play. He wasn't up with the play, the

:31:55. > :31:57.assistant referee and didn't seem to be looking. He made the right

:31:58. > :32:38.decision, though. Should it go to penalties, Argentina

:32:39. > :32:43.would fancy themselves, they've won three of their four shoot-outs.

:32:44. > :33:11.Including, you will remember, England fans with pain, 1998.

:33:12. > :33:30.If they can give Shaqiri a sight of goal on his left foot.

:33:31. > :34:17.Messi in a position there where he can't receive. Look how many of the

:34:18. > :34:26.players are around the ball. Play further up the pitch. A huge gap

:34:27. > :34:45.between five Argentina players and three.

:34:46. > :34:49.If they got more adventurous, Switzerland, they could win this

:34:50. > :35:36.without it going to penalties. It's just really basic. Would love

:35:37. > :35:39.to see the statistics, how many passes have been misplaced.

:35:40. > :35:56.Possession conceded. Roger Federer is still watching

:35:57. > :36:32.nervously. Mehmedi has worked hard up and down

:36:33. > :36:34.the Swiss left. Rodriguez has had a good tournament. He looks a very

:36:35. > :37:06.good player. Out by Schar. The decision-making in

:37:07. > :37:45.this game has been so poor by nearly everybody. Amazing.

:37:46. > :37:51.The Brazilian fans are loving the fact that Switzerland is playing

:37:52. > :38:22.around Argentina. Three men on Messi straightaway. Not

:38:23. > :38:41.a team-mate in sight. No help whatsoever.

:38:42. > :39:04.Behrami was there again. How many miles has he covered today?

:39:05. > :39:58.Well done, ref, make him get up. If Argentina are going to make a

:39:59. > :40:13.substitution it's going to be Basanta who comes on.

:40:14. > :40:22.He can play leftback. More comfortable as a centreback. If

:40:23. > :40:24.Argentina get through he is probably playing in the next game. Rojo

:40:25. > :40:54.can't, he is suspended. 106 minutes and Di Maria is away.

:40:55. > :40:59.Higuain is joining him in the middle.

:41:00. > :41:05.Needs a good ball. Away by Djourou. No quality on the pass again.

:41:06. > :41:16.Three Swiss players in front of Messi.

:41:17. > :41:34.Half-time. Half-time in extra time. Di Maria again so very wasteful.

:41:35. > :41:46.It's hard to see which team is going to win this. The Swiss look stronger

:41:47. > :41:53.and quicker, without really threatening Argentina. There's just

:41:54. > :41:57.no change to the Argentine tactics. When they broke there and the ball

:41:58. > :41:59.eventually ended up with Messi, there were three Swiss players on to

:42:00. > :42:03.him very quickly. But that's been all the game. Nobody else from

:42:04. > :42:07.Argentina reacted to it. Nobody was in there saying, pass it to me, take

:42:08. > :42:12.the three players out of the game. Really, you take him out of this

:42:13. > :42:18.team and they're very, very ordinary on what we have seen in the World

:42:19. > :42:23.Cup so far. Aguero would have made a difference certainly. Yes. They'll

:42:24. > :42:39.hope to get him back for the next game, if they can get through the

:42:40. > :42:47.next 15 minutes. A defensive midfield player, Biglia. They can't

:42:48. > :43:00.be gambling on penalties. That's what they say, extra time,

:43:01. > :43:17.never sit down or lie down. It shows you're tired.

:43:18. > :43:31.Messi looks absolutely exhausted there. Yeah.

:43:32. > :43:57.They've sent Biglia back to the dugout.

:43:58. > :44:07.15 minutes to go. They've to make a substitution now. Gago is going to

:44:08. > :44:19.go off and Biglia is the man who comes on.

:44:20. > :44:28.They haven't made hugely adventurous changes. Left back for a left back,

:44:29. > :44:35.holding midfield player for a holding midfield player. What a

:44:36. > :44:39.disappointment this game has been. Switzerland kick off the second half

:44:40. > :44:45.of extra time. It's a goal kick for Argentina. The only thing I wonder

:44:46. > :44:51.is that with the holding midfield player, whether they might stick

:44:52. > :44:57.four up front. It's early but it looks like they might have done.

:44:58. > :45:11.Pushed Messi further up, Palacio on the left. Di Maria on the right.

:45:12. > :45:25.Looks like it's with four players. They'll have to protect those

:45:26. > :45:40.centrebacks. It Biglia's first touch went out of play. He is another

:45:41. > :45:45.Italian bass -- based player, at Lazio. You cannot imagine what is

:45:46. > :45:52.going through his mind in these circumstances. The circumstances, he

:45:53. > :46:06.had a family bereavement yesterday, he was told.

:46:07. > :46:21.Palacio has come in behind a Higuain, virtually on top of each

:46:22. > :46:26.other. Switzerland can be a bit older, they can go and win this.

:46:27. > :46:33.They have not really been bowled in the game. Would be a big change,

:46:34. > :46:35.certainly. Mascherano still ranting and raving. It is what keeps him

:46:36. > :46:52.going. Garay. They have definitely gone

:46:53. > :47:06.with four up top. Messi is right through the middle. Mascherano.

:47:07. > :47:17.Palacio is in the middle. Messi on the edge of the box. They have three

:47:18. > :47:31.players in the opposition's area. The build-up is plodding. Messi. Can

:47:32. > :47:44.he change it now, in a blink of an eye. Di Maria. He has gone for it!

:47:45. > :47:49.Excellent save. He would have redeemed himself, in one sweet

:47:50. > :47:59.moment. He struck it well, but it was a comfortable save. You were to

:48:00. > :48:06.say that all day. -- you would expect him to say that all day.

:48:07. > :48:14.Looks good for the cameras. A touch by Palacio at the near post. Mehmedi

:48:15. > :48:23.getting across. A poor touch, Switzerland can break. Seferovic was

:48:24. > :48:32.not the bravest, Shaqiri turning away in disgust. Actually Zabaleta

:48:33. > :48:41.did well, watching the ball, pinching it off his toes.

:48:42. > :48:52.It is the extra touch, all the time. If they get beyond this stage, they

:48:53. > :49:12.will have to improve in the last eight. Di Maria, floating it in.

:49:13. > :49:19.Straight into the hands of the lag -- -- hands of Benaglio. For a

:49:20. > :49:24.player who had such a great season with Real Madrid, he has had eight

:49:25. > :49:27.anchor. Argentina have been on the winning side in five of their six

:49:28. > :49:35.World Cup games when they have gone to extra time. Both teams looked

:49:36. > :49:51.very tired. They are dead on their feet. -- he has had a stinker.

:49:52. > :50:20.No real movement upfront, one paced. The left-back has never passed the

:50:21. > :50:27.ball forward. Di Maria. Messi. Forced away from goal by Behrami. He

:50:28. > :50:44.has got into the box. Fabian Schar with the clearance. The pressure is

:50:45. > :50:49.on got -- Inler. That is won back fairly. Palacio, back to the

:50:50. > :51:03.substitute left-back. Credit to Mascherano, at 30, to keep

:51:04. > :51:24.going. Di Maria cutting inside. That came off Djourou? He did well,

:51:25. > :51:30.actually. It would be ironic if Di Maria won this one having had that

:51:31. > :51:37.is a stinker. He will not win it like that. Not in a month of

:51:38. > :51:46.Sundays. Looking at his body language when he was approaching it,

:51:47. > :51:55.lazy, laconic. Here comes another Swiss substitution. Mehmedi coming

:51:56. > :52:29.off. He has worked so hard up the left-hand side. The man he comes on

:52:30. > :52:37.M Blerim Dzemaili. , Davis is his third World finals appearance. He is

:52:38. > :52:45.another Napoli player. Not too many of them have experience of taking

:52:46. > :53:03.penalties. Blerim Dzemaili is very experienced. This well played

:53:04. > :53:11.Rodriguez, just watching the ball. Di Maria trying to force it inside.

:53:12. > :53:20.-- that is well played. It is a throw to Argentina. Dzemaili tries

:53:21. > :53:29.to keep things going. Still six minutes to go. That is hoisted to

:53:30. > :53:40.Zabaleta. He comes across beyond Higuain. Seferovic. A free kick to

:53:41. > :54:01.Switzerland. Messi can barely pick himself up off the turf.

:54:02. > :54:13.It has been a game full of tension, with errors, on paper, promising a

:54:14. > :54:17.glut of goals. Switzerland have gone back to their tight defensive

:54:18. > :54:25.security from the qualifying days. They let in just six goals.

:54:26. > :54:38.He had Lichtsteiner available wife, he went narrow. -- wide. Here comes

:54:39. > :54:51.Switzerland again, Dzemaili. Rodriguez.

:54:52. > :55:00.There is no real rush, is there? The winners of this will play either

:55:01. > :55:17.Belgium USA. That nearly came through. As he hurt himself? He's

:55:18. > :55:21.OK. -- either Belgium or USA. Fabian Schar caught the eye in the London

:55:22. > :55:31.Olympics, the Swiss Player of the Year last year. The Argentinian

:55:32. > :55:41.players who have been practising penalties, Messi, Higuain, Di

:55:42. > :56:08.Maria, Mascherano, Demichelis. He's not taking one, is the? -- is he? Di

:56:09. > :56:21.Maria has some energy. He has kept going. Di Maria. Messi, but too much

:56:22. > :56:32.weight on the pass. It was almost a token run. He has nothing in there.

:56:33. > :56:34.He has been a wonderful player at a wonderful football club, he must

:56:35. > :56:52.look around at some of his team-mates... They are distinctly

:56:53. > :56:57.average. Under three minutes. Mascherano has worked so hard for

:56:58. > :57:04.Argentina. They have a man over. Messi with the run. Kenny finally

:57:05. > :57:11.win it. Di Maria, it is in! It is Di Maria. -- can he finally win it?

:57:12. > :57:14.That is it for Switzerland, heartache. The Argentinian

:57:15. > :57:16.substitutes are