Defending champions Argentina produced a thrilling comeback to overturn a two-goal deficit and defeat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday in Atlanta, securing a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and denying the Pharaohs a historic first-ever appearance in the last eight.
Egypt appeared on course for a famous upset after taking a two-goal lead through Yasser Ibrahim in the 15th minute and Mostafa Abdel Raouf “Zizo” in the 67th minute. However, Argentina mounted a late rally, with Cristian Romero pulling one back in the 79th minute, Lionel Messi equalizing in the 83rd, and Enzo Fernández scoring the dramatic winner in stoppage time (90+2). Messi had earlier missed a penalty in the 21st minute after it was saved by the Egyptian goalkeeper.
Argentina will now face Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Kansas City. Switzerland and Colombia are scheduled to meet later in Vancouver in the final Round of 16 match.
Messi continued to rewrite the record books, taking his tally in this tournament to eight goals, moving clear at the top of the scoring charts, one goal ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland. He also extended his all-time FIFA World Cup record to 21 goals.
It is the highest goal tally recorded by any player in the first five matches of a single World Cup campaign since Germany’s Gerd Müller scored 10 goals in 1970.
Despite missing his penalty, Messi remained influential throughout the match. He assisted Romero’s goal to spark Argentina’s comeback, then scored the equalizer himself before Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround with the winning goal deep into stoppage time.
Egypt, meanwhile, delivered an impressive performance led by Mohamed Salah, while Haitham Hassan of Spain’s Real Oviedo justified coach Hossam Hassan’s decision to start him ahead of Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush. Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir also produced a series of outstanding saves, particularly during the first half, to frustrate the world champions.
However, Egypt lost concentration during the closing stages after coming within minutes of a landmark achievement that would have added to an already historic tournament, having recorded their first-ever World Cup finals victory, their first qualification for the knockout stage, and their first appearance in the Round of 16.
