Holders Argentina survived another almighty scare before delivering a scarcely believable second-half comeback to break Egyptian hearts and reach the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup.
The reigning champions had looked set for a shock exit in Atlanta against the inspired Pharaohs, who built a commanding 2-0 lead through goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico. However, Cristian Romero halved the deficit 11 minutes from time to spark life into Lionel Scaloni’s side.
Talisman Lionel Messi—who had missed a first-half penalty—then slammed home a dramatic equaliser five minutes later. Enzo Fernández completed the spectacular turnaround two minutes into injury time, heading home a Lautaro Martínez cross to book a quarter-final spot against either Colombia or Switzerland.
Inspired Egypt Stun Champions Early
It was impossible not to feel for the North African side. Egypt had never won a World Cup match prior to this summer but stood mere minutes away from eliminating the three-time winners. Having already defeated Australia in the round of 32, the Pharaohs sent their fans into ecstasy after 15 minutes. Ibrahim outjumped defender Lisandro Martínez to authoritatively nod Marwan Attia’s deep cross into the bottom corner.
Argentina were handed a golden opportunity to restore parity just five minutes later when Haissem Hassan tripped Nicolás Tagliafico inside the area. Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced a magnificent diving save to deny Messi from the penalty spot.
The Inter Miami star has now missed half of his eight career World Cup penalties. Consequently, he became the first player in tournament history to miss two spot-kicks in a single edition, excluding shootouts, following a previous miss against Austria.
Shobeir remained outstanding throughout the opening period. The goalkeeper saved crucially from an Alexis Mac Allister header before executing a superb one-handed stop to deny Julián Álvarez right before the interval.
Historic Messi Spark Seals Great Escape
The outsiders continued to threaten and had a goal disallowed by the video assistant referee (VAR) shortly before the hour mark. Their persistence paid off midway through the second half when Zico expertly stroked home a fine Hassan delivery, leaving Egypt on the brink of an unlikely milestone.
Argentina had created precious little up to that point. However, Romero’s thumping 79th-minute header completely transformed the momentum of the tie. Five minutes later, Messi capitalised on a loose ball in the area to smash home his 21st career World Cup goal via the underside of the crossbar.
The vital strike means the 39-year-old is now the first player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive knockout-stage matches. Furthermore, his eight goals at this tournament are the most in the opening five games of a single edition since German legend Gerd Müller in 1970.
The pulsating contest looked destined for extra time until Fernández had the final say. The midfielder’s perfectly placed header completed one of the greatest recoveries in competition history, leaving an emotional Messi in tears of joy at the final whistle.
Read more – Two days of pre-quarterfinals that history will remember
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