Defending champions Argentina produced one of the greatest comebacks in FIFA World Cup history, scoring three late goals to beat Egypt 3-2 and secure a dramatic place in the quarter-finals.
The South American giants looked set for a shock exit after Egypt controlled large parts of the Round of 16 clash at Atlanta Stadium. However, a remarkable fightback in the closing stages kept Lionel Messi and his teammates on course to defend their world title.
Egypt take control
Egypt made the perfect start when Yasser Ibrahim gave the Pharaohs the lead in the 15th minute. The African side defended with discipline and threatened on the counterattack, making life difficult for the reigning champions.
Mostafa Zico thought he had doubled Egypt’s advantage before the hour mark after finishing a swift move created by Mohamed Salah. However, the goal was ruled out following a lengthy VAR review after officials spotted a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez during the build-up.
Egypt did not have to wait long for their second goal. In the 67th minute, Zico found the net again to put the Pharaohs 2-0 ahead and leave Argentina facing an early elimination.
Messi misses from the spot
Argentina had chances to reduce the deficit before Egypt’s second goal but failed to make them count.
Lionel Messi missed a first-half penalty after goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed correctly and made an excellent save. Shobeir continued his outstanding performance with several important stops to frustrate the defending champions.
The missed spot-kick also saw Messi become the first player to miss two penalties at a single FIFA World Cup tournament, excluding penalty shootouts.
Champions mount stunning comeback
Argentina finally found a way back into the match in the 79th minute.
Cristian Romero rose above the Egyptian defence to head home Messi’s perfectly delivered cross, giving the defending champions renewed hope.
Just four minutes later, Messi made up for his earlier penalty miss by calmly scoring the equaliser to spark wild celebrations among the Argentina supporters.
The decisive moment came in stoppage time. Enzo Fernández completed the stunning turnaround in the 93rd minute with a clinical finish to seal a famous 3-2 victory.
Egypt appealed for two penalties during a frantic finish, but both claims were rejected as Argentina held on for victory.
History made
The victory earned Argentina a unique place in FIFA World Cup history. They became the first team to recover from a two-goal deficit after the 78th minute and still win a World Cup match in normal time.
Messi also added another milestone to his remarkable career. His equalising goal made him the first player to score in six consecutive FIFA World Cup knockout matches.
The 39-year-old has now scored eight goals at the 2026 tournament, the highest total by any player through a team’s first five matches at a World Cup since Gerd Müller scored 10 goals for West Germany in 1970.
Quarter-final awaits
Argentina’s remarkable escape sends the defending champions into the quarter-finals, where they will face either Switzerland or Colombia.
Egypt, meanwhile, exit the tournament with plenty of credit after delivering a performance that pushed the world champions to the brink before their heartbreaking late collapse.
