Argentina survived a major World Cup scare after staging a dramatic late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in their round-of-16 clash in Atlanta.
The defending champions looked close to elimination after Egypt took a 2-0 lead through goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico. But Lionel Messi helped drag Argentina back into the contest, setting up Cristian Romero’s goal before scoring the equaliser himself. Enzo Fernandez then completed the turnaround with a stoppage-time winner.
Egypt had started the game with confidence and punished Argentina after 15 minutes. Marwan Attia delivered a long cross into the box, and Ibrahim rose above the Argentine defence to head Egypt in front.
Argentina had a quick chance to respond when Nicolas Tagliafico was fouled in the box, but Messi failed to convert the penalty. Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir guessed correctly and saved the weak effort, giving his team more belief.
Shoubir became one of Egypt’s standout performers. He denied Alexis Mac Allister from close range and later made another strong save to stop Julian Alvarez before halftime. Messi also struck the post from a free-kick as Argentina pushed for a way back into the match.
Egypt thought they had doubled their lead in the 62nd minute when Zico finished off a flowing move, but VAR ruled the goal out for a foul in the build-up. Five minutes later, Zico got his goal. Mohamed Salah launched the counter-attack, Haissem Hassan drove to the byline, and Zico arrived to finish the cutback.
At 2-0, Egypt looked set for one of the biggest shocks of the tournament. But Argentina refused to collapse.
Messi started the comeback in the 79th minute when his cross found Romero, who headed Argentina back into the game. Four minutes later, Messi scored the equaliser after Lautaro Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel helped keep the attack alive inside the box.
With Egypt under pressure and Argentina pushing forward, the winner came in stoppage time. Lautaro crossed from the right, and Fernandez guided a header past Shoubir to seal a stunning 3-2 victory.
The result was cruel for Egypt, who had come close to knocking out the world champions. Their players protested for a penalty before Argentina’s winning counter-attack, but the referee waved play on.
For Argentina, the comeback showed their experience and resilience. They looked beaten for much of the game, but Messi’s influence and the impact of Argentina’s substitutes changed the match late on.
Messi’s goal also extended his record World Cup tally to 21 goals, underlining his continued importance to Argentina at 39.
Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals after the Swiss beat Colombia 4-3 on penalties following a goalless draw.
The victory keeps Argentina’s title defence alive, but Egypt leave the tournament with pride. They pushed the champions to the edge, only to lose control in the final minutes when Argentina’s biggest players found another gear.
