Defending champions Argentina produced a dramatic comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 and book their place in the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals after an unforgettable last 16 clash in Atlanta.
Argentina looked set for a shocking exit after Egypt raced into a two goal lead. Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring with a powerful header before Lionel Messi missed the chance to equalize when his penalty was saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. Egypt doubled their advantage later in the second half when Mostafa Ziko finished a quick counterattack to put the African side in complete control.
Argentina struggled for most of the match, while Shobeir made several outstanding saves to deny Messi and his teammates. Egypt also thought they had scored another goal, but it was ruled out after a VAR review, leaving their players and coaches frustrated.
With only minutes left, Argentina finally found their rhythm. Cristian Romero headed home to give his team hope. Soon after, Messi made up for his missed penalty by scoring a brilliant goal to level the match. The strike was his eighth goal of the tournament and his ninth straight World Cup game with a goal.
Deep into added time, Enzo Fernandez completed the amazing comeback with a powerful header from Lautaro Martinez’s cross, sending Argentina into the last eight.
After the final whistle, an emotional Messi celebrated with his teammates, while coach Lionel Scaloni admitted he was overwhelmed by the result. Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarterfinals as they continue their title defense.
