Argentina comeback from brink of elimination

Argentina looked to be on the verge of a shock exit. Lionel Messi missed a penalty, while Egypt seemed destined to script one of the biggest upsets of the FIFA World Cup after taking a two-goal lead. But the defending champions staged a dramatic late turnaround, with goals from Cristian Romero, Messi and Enzo Fernández sealing a remarkable 3-2 victory from 2-0 down to book a place in the quarter-finals.

In the Round of 16 clash in Atlanta, Lionel Scaloni's side endured an uncomfortable start. Egypt took the lead in the 15th minute when defender Yasser Ibrahim headed home from a corner after Argentina failed to deal with the delivery.

Argentina had an immediate chance to equalise four minutes later after Nicolás Tagliafico was brought down inside the box. Messi stepped up to take the penalty, but Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobier produced a superb save to deny the Argentine captain. It was Messi's fourth missed penalty in World Cup history and his second of the 2026 tournament.

Argentina continued to dominate possession and increase the pressure, but Shobier also denied Julián Álvarez with another fine save. Egypt remained disciplined at the back and threatened on the counterattack through the pace of Mohamed Salah and Haitham Hassan. Despite controlling the ball, Argentina lacked their usual sharpness in the final third.

The defending champions appeared to be heading for elimination in the 67th minute. A swift counterattack led by Salah, followed by excellent work from Haitham Hassan, ended with Mostafa Zico calmly finishing to double Egypt's lead and leave Argentina staring at a shock exit.

Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute, heading home from a perfectly weighted cross by Messi to spark the comeback. Four minutes later, Messi redeemed himself for the earlier penalty miss, firing a left-footed strike into the net to level the score at 2-2.

The decisive moment came in the second minute of stoppage time when Enzo Fernández headed home from Lautaro Martínez's cross, completing an extraordinary comeback as Argentina overturned a two-goal deficit to win 3-2.

The victory also ended a two-decade wait for Argentina. The last time they won a World Cup match after conceding first was against Mexico in the Round of 16 at the 2006 tournament. They had failed to win in four such matches since then, but Scaloni's men finally ended that unwanted run with their dramatic victory over Egypt.