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Argentina Beats Switzerland 3-1 After VAR Misidentifies Red Card

7/12/2026

Summary

Switzerland Redcarded

Switzerland lost 3-1 to Argentina on July 11 quarter-final after Embolo received a 72nd-minute red card.
The red card stemmed from a VAR review that misidentified Embolo for Leandro Paredes and upgraded his second yellow for simulation.
Julian Álvarez’s 112th-minute goal and Lautaro Martínez’s ninth-minute extra-time strike sealed the win.
Coach Murat Yakin condemned the VAR rule change as unacceptable, while Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said luck helped after the red card, captain Granit Xhaka agreed.

Summary

Embolo Sent-off

VAR applied the IFAB “mistaken-identity” rule for the first time at a World Cup, overturning Leandro Paredes’ yellow and giving Breel Embolo a second yellow for simulation.
Embolo’s dismissal made him the fourth player ever to receive a second yellow for simulation at a World Cup, joining Francesco Totti, Luis Pérez and Asamoah Gyan.
The red card suspends Embolo for Switzerland’s next match, meaning he will miss a potential semi-final against England.

History

Historical Context

The IFAB added a mistaken-identity clause to Law 12 in 2016, echoing legal defenses that have produced DNA-exonerations—73 % of which stem from faulty eyewitnesses. FIFA introduced VAR at the 2018 World Cup, reviewing about 1,600 incidents, but the rule stayed unused until July 11 2022, when Switzerland’s Breel Embolo was sent off after VAR invoked the clause.

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Switzerland Redcarded

Switzerland lost 3-1 to Argentina on July 11 quarter-final after Embolo received a 72nd-minute red card.
The red card stemmed from a VAR review that misidentified Embolo for Leandro Paredes and upgraded his second yellow for simulation.
Julian Álvarez’s 112th-minute goal and Lautaro Martínez’s ninth-minute extra-time strike sealed the win.
Coach Murat Yakin condemned the VAR rule change as unacceptable, while Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said luck helped after the red card, captain Granit Xhaka agreed.

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