Lautaro Martinez escapes red card that would have ruled him out against England despite appearing to break celebration rule

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Lautaro Martinez sparked wild celebrations as his 121st minute goal sealed Argentina’s place in the World Cup semi-final.They beat Switzerland 3-1 after extra-time in their quarter-final.Martinez jumped over the advertising board – could he have been shown a second yellow?GettyJulian Alvarez hit a screamer before Martinez made sure his side booked their place to face England next Wednesday.The Inter Milan striker jumped over the advertising board to celebrate with the supporters at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.The referee appeared to use his discretion and opted not to show the 28-year-old a yellow card for his celebration.Martinez was already on a yellow card, meaning he would have been sent off.View Tweet: https://t.co/7iHow8lZeKThe striker would then have been unavailable to face England in the World Cup semi-final.IFAB rules on celebration yellow cardsAccording to Law 12, players can celebrate when a goal is scored, but the celebration must not be excessive; choreographed celebrations are not encouraged and must not cause excessive time-wasting.Leaving the field of play to celebrate a goal is not a cautionable offence but players should return as soon as possible.A player must be cautioned, even if the goal is disallowed, for:Removing the shirt or covering the head with the shirtClimbing onto a perimeter fence and/or approaching the spectators in a manner which causes safety and/or security issuesActing in a provocative, derisory or inflammatory wayCovering the head or face with a mask or other similar itemArgentina vs Switzerland verdictThere was no starring role for Lionel Messi in the 3-1 extra-time win.Argentina will face England in the World Cup semi-final on WednesdayGettyArgentina’s other stars had to step up to ensure their pursuit of retaining the World Cup remained on.Co-commentator for the match, former Chelsea star Scott Minto, told talkSPORT: “It wasn’t Lionel Messi this time, but it’s about time others kind of stepped up. Julian Alvarez had a great World Cup last time out, but a bit of a quiet one this time. But he’s certainly come to the party now. “That is, you know, one of the great World Cup goals. Picking up the ball 20, 25 yards out, and it just sat up nicely. “But he struck it absolutely perfectly, so sweetly, that no keeper in the world would have stopped it. “He just felt that they didn’t really necessarily need that third goal. That was the one to break the hearts and spirits of Switzerland.“For them to go down the other end would be so difficult to do, but you’ve got to give it to Argentina. Alvarez was named man-of-the-match against SwitzerlandGettyStream the football through Proton VPN for just £2.39*If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue.If you’re streaming the football on the go, you need a solid connection to avoid missing any of the action.Using a VPN keeps your streaming speeds lightning-fast and your browsing completely private.Right now, Proton is offering a massive 70% off, bringing the monthly price down to a ridiculous £2.39.Sort your connection out and enjoy the football in peace.Click here to buy now.“Massive credit to Switzerland. Again, they’ve taken a top, top team, one of the top seeds, almost right to the very end.“They did it in 2024 against England. They’ve done it here, not quite with penalties this time, but extra time. “But Argentina just know how to win, don’t they? They’re an amazing footballing country.”England face Argentina in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday, with commentary live on talkSPORT.World Cup WhatsAppDon't miss an update from talkSPORT in our dedicated World Cup WhatsApp channel.Search for ‘talkSPORT World Cup’ in your ‘Updates’ tab on WhatsApp and we’ll drop the proper, unfiltered football chat straight to your lock screen—no fluff, just pure talkSPORT energy.It’s where you’ll find out all the new rules to watch out for, England and Scotland reaction and big match player ratings. Plus there will be loads of debates on the biggest talking points as Haaland, Mbappe, Kane and the biggest names in football descend on America, Canada and Mexico.