Yesterday Argentina 1-0 Switzerland Belgium 2-1 USA Angel Di Maria scored in the 118th minute to give Argentina a barely deserved 1-0 win over Switzerland while Belgium also had to beat the United States of America 2-1 in extra-time. After a tense 0-0 draw at 90 minutes and a scoreless first period of extra time, Lionel Messi surged up the middle after Swiss defender Stephan Lichtsteiner lost the ball on the halfway line and released Di Maria, who swept the ball home with his left foot before wheeling away in delight. Blerim Dzemaili almost saved the Swiss when his header hit the post in stoppage time at the end of extra time, but Argentina held on and now face a quarterfinal with either Belgium or the United States, who play later on Tuesday. Switzerland assistant coach Michel Pont added: Football is brutal, brutal, brutal. Unfortunately, we didnt quite have enough strength at the end to get through extra time. Thats the way it is in soccer, one small mistake. We had a chance to get a goal before that... its totally brutal. Messi revealed the inner torment his team felt as the game dragged towards a dreaded penalty shootout. Suffering, suffering, thats what we felt, he said. We know we will go through times like this. Thats football. We had luck on our side. We need to now move on. Argentina had leaned heavily on Messi throughout the group stage, the mercurial number 10 scoring four of their six goals, and the forward was again at the heart of all their best work, prompting and prodding in front of the massed Swiss defence. While Switzerland managed to keep Messi off the scoresheet, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said he had made the difference. We know that Messi in one second can decide a match, and he has sufficient qualities for that, but then the pass to Di Maria and then the marvellous shot by Di Maria, said Hitzfeld, who had already announced he was stepping down after the tournament. He was philosophical about the manner of defeat, which kept his side waiting for their first ever win over Argentina. This is football, these are strong emotions and these are emotions you only have in football, and thats why we love football, he added. Switzerland, who were looking to return to the quarter-finals for the first time since hosting the tournament in 1954, went closest to scoring in a tight first half when impish playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri released Josip Drmic through on goal. The tall striker shaped to shoot but wasted the opportunity with an ill-advised chip and Romero gathered comfortably. With the score tied at 0-0 at halftime, the game then opened up in the second period as Argentina grabbed the momentum, and their blue and white clad fans brought the Corinthians arena to life, chanting and bouncing in unison. The warning signs were flashing for Switzerland when Gonzalo Higuain went close with a header before Messi drove into the box and forced Diego Benaglio into a great save. However, despite camping out in the Swiss half for long sections of the second half Argentina could not make the breakthrough and the 90 minutes ended scoreless. Argentina looked the stronger side in extra time when Swiss legs began to tire and, just when it looked like Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson would call for a penalty shootout, Messi scampered clear and picked out Di Maria. Drifting in from the right, Di Maria curled a left-foot shot around the diving Benaglio to seal the win with just three minutes left in extra time. Belgium edge USA in extra-time thriller Extra-time goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku sealed a thrilling 2-1 victory for Belgium over a spirited United States in Salvador on Tuesday and set up a World Cup quarterfinal clash with Argentina. After dominating the game and being frustrated by an inspired Tim Howard in the US goal, De Bruyne struck in the 93rd minute, collecting a loose ball before turning and firing home an angled shot from seven metres. In a pulsating extra time period, substitute Lukaku powered home a second on 105 minutes after a neat De Bruyne pass before Julian Greens neat volley ensured a tense finish in which Clint Dempsey almost sneaked an equaliser. It could have been very different for the Belgians had U.S. substitute Chris Wondolowski not horribly skewed wide from five metres in the dying seconds of normal time to seal what would have been a smash and grab victory. Belgium enjoyed nearly all the possession and looked the more dangerous side throughout as the US were forced to set up camp outside their box and look for the break. On his first start in Brazil, Belgium striker Divock Origi was in on goal inside 40 seconds but his low drive was parried away for a corner by Howard, while the lively De Bruyne should have done better after 23 minutes after finding space in the box. Dempseys tame volley represented the best chance for the Americans in the first half but it was the Belgians who looked strong again after the interval. Dries Mertens and Jan Vertonghen tested Howard before Origi went close with a header that hit the crossbar. Howard was again on hand to repel Kevin Mirallas on 76 minutes and he dealt with two more stinging Origi shots and a Vincent Kompany effort. With extra time moments away, Americas Wondolowski missed a glorious chance that they would come to rue. All the Belgian goals in Brazil had come after the 70th- minute mark and their persistence finally paid off in extra time. De Bruyne fired home after good work from Lukaku before the midfielder returned the favour, teeing up the substitute striker to power home a second on 105 minutes. Midfielder Green raised US hopes by pulling one back with a smart volley two minutes later but after Thibaut Courtois denied Dempseys clever set-piece move it was Belgium who held on to seal their first World Cup quarterfinal since 1986.
