Argentina delivered an incredible comeback, rallying from a 2-0 deficit to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory over Egypt, extending Lionel Messi’s World Cup journey and propelling them into the quarterfinals.
The defending champions found themselves in a precarious position on Tuesday, as goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko, coupled with Messi’s missed penalty, put the Pharaohs on the brink of a historic upset in Atlanta.
However, Cristian Romero ignited the comeback with a powerful header, leading Argentina to score three times in the final 11 minutes plus stoppage time.
Messi struck the equalizer, marking a remarkable ninth consecutive World Cup game with a goal, and reclaiming the lead in the race for the Golden Boot with eight goals in this tournament.
Enzo Fernandez capped off the comeback with a stunning header just two minutes into stoppage time.
In a heartfelt moment, Messi shed tears of joy as he embraced his teammates after the victory.
Egypt, on the other hand, expressed their frustration over several controversial decisions, including a disallowed goal early in the second half and a red card issued to a member of their coaching staff following the winning goal.
Despite this intense challenge against African opponents, Argentina is set to face either Colombia or Switzerland in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Lionel Scaloni made strategic changes to rejuvenate a team that appeared exhausted after a tight 3-2 win over Cape Verde in the last 32 on Friday.
Nicolas Tagliafico, Leandro Paredes, and Julian Alvarez joined the lineup from the Miami match, but Argentina struggled to find their rhythm at the start.
Marwan Attia delivered a deep cross to the back post, where Yasser powered it home.
Argentina had a chance to equalize just five minutes later when Tagliafico was fouled by Haissem Hassan in the box.
Unfortunately, Messi faced another setback from the penalty spot. His hesitant strike was expertly saved by Mostafa Shobeir, marking Messi’s fourth miss out of eight non-shootout penalties at World Cups. He also became the first player to miss two penalties in a single tournament, having already failed to score against Austria in the group stages.
Shobeir’s remarkable performance continued as he parried a powerful header from Alexis Mac Allister and made a stunning save to deny Alvarez’s shot destined for the bottom corner.
Egypt seemed poised to double their lead after a brilliant counterattack led by Mohamed Salah, who set up Mostafa Ziko. Ziko’s delicate chip over the rushing Emi Martinez sparked celebrations, but they were abruptly halted by a controversial VAR decision for a foul on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the play.
This decision energized the predominantly Argentinian crowd, but they were soon silenced again by another swift Egyptian counterattack. Salah initiated the play, feeding Hassan, whose cross was expertly finished by Ziko.
As the second half progressed, Argentina looked dejected, with even Messi appearing downcast during the drinks break.
Yet, Romero’s header, which Shobeir nearly kept out, ignited a remarkable revival as the defending champions fought back.
Shortly after, Messi dazzled with a run that set up Lautaro Martinez, whose header narrowly missed the target. But Messi found redemption seven minutes from time. Gonzalo Montiel laid the ball back for Messi, who struck a sweet half-volley that Shobeir touched but couldn’t prevent from crashing in off the crossbar, marking Messi’s 21st World Cup goal.
Fernandez’s powerful header from Lautaro Martinez’s cross completed the stunning turnaround, and Argentina’s relief was palpable as the final whistle blew.
Scaloni, visibly emotional, shared a brief moment with reporters after the match, saying, “I can’t look up, I’m sorry. I’m really emotional right now. What a group of players, man. That’s it, I’ve got to go.”
