For a brief while, Switzerland, playing in their first World Cup quarterfinal since 1954, threatened to pull off what Cape Verde and Egypt could not. An all-out attacking display in the second half, capped by Dan Ndoye’s equalizer , pushed Argentina to the brink once again in this World Cup.
But minutes later, the momentum swung dramatically. Switzerland were reduced to 10 men after Breel Embolo was sent off under FIFA’s new “mistaken identity” VAR protocol, which was used for the first time at the 2026 World Cup.
Argentina’s midfielder Leandro Paredes for what appeared to be a trip on Embolo. However, after being called to the VAR monitor, he reviewed the incident and overturned his original decision. The replay showed Embolo had gone to ground before any contact from Paredes, with the referee ruling it a simulation instead. Since the Swiss forward had already been booked earlier in the match, he was shown a second yellow card, followed by a red.
It marked the first red card issued under FIFA’s new “mistaken identity” VAR protocol at a World Cup. Under the law, officials can review incidents where a player is shown a yellow or red card if the offence was actually committed by another player from either team.
Earlier in the group stage, USA captain Tim Ream became the first player to benefit from the protocol when a yellow card shown to him was rescinded. Following a VAR review, the foul on Miguel Almiron was instead ruled a simulation by the Paraguay captain.
