Defending champions Argentina produced a remarkable late comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 and book their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, keeping Lionel Messi’s hopes of another world title alive.
The holders recovered from two goals down with three strikes in the final 11 minutes, completing one of the tournament’s most dramatic turnarounds.
Argentina endured a nightmare start as Yasser Ibrahim headed Egypt into the lead after meeting a deep cross from Marwan Attia.
Moments later, Lionel Messi had the chance to restore parity after Nicolas Tagliafico was brought down inside the penalty area.
However, the Argentina captain’s penalty was comfortably saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, marking his second missed penalty of the tournament after also failing from the spot against Austria in the group stage.
The save also made Messi the first player to miss two non-shootout penalties at a single FIFA World Cup.
Shobeir continued his outstanding performance by denying Alexis Mac Allister and Julián Álvarez with two brilliant saves to preserve Egypt’s advantage.
Egypt thought they had doubled their lead just after the hour mark when Mostafa Ziko finished off a swift counterattack started by Mohamed Salah.
However, the goal was ruled out following a VAR review, with officials penalising a foul on Lisandro Martínez earlier in the move.
The disappointment proved short-lived.
Minutes later, Salah again led another devastating break before setting up Haissem Hassan, whose cross was converted by Ziko to make it 2-0, leaving Argentina staring at a shock exit.
With time running out, Argentina finally found a breakthrough in the 79th minute.
A powerful header from Cristian Romero squeezed past Shobeir to reduce the deficit and ignite the defending champions’ comeback.
The goal transformed the momentum, with Argentina piling relentless pressure on the Egyptian defence.
Seven minutes from time, Messi made amends for his earlier penalty miss.
After a clever pass from Gonzalo Montiel, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner unleashed a superb half-volley that bounced in off the crossbar despite another touch from Shobeir.
The goal was Messi’s eighth of the tournament, moving him back to the top of the Golden Boot standings, and his 21st career World Cup goal.
Argentina completed the remarkable comeback in stoppage time.
A precise cross from Lautaro Martínez found Enzo Fernández, who powered a header beyond Shobeir to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory two minutes into added time.
The final whistle sparked emotional celebrations, with Messi visibly moved as he embraced his teammates after one of the most memorable victories of Argentina’s campaign.
Egypt’s players and coaching staff reacted angrily after the match, believing several key officiating decisions went against them, particularly the VAR intervention that ruled out their second goal earlier in the second half.
A member of Egypt’s coaching staff was also shown a red card following the winning goal during heated protests.
Argentina’s victory sends the reigning world champions into the quarter-finals, where they will face either Colombia or Switzerland as they continue their quest to defend the FIFA World Cup title successfully.
