Defending champions Argentina produced a stunning late comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash on Tuesday, overturning a two-goal deficit to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
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Cristian Romero ignited the comeback before captain Lionel Messi levelled the contest, with Enzo Fernandez striking deep into stoppage time to complete an unforgettable turnaround.
Egypt made the brighter start and took the lead in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim powered home a header from Marwan Attia’s corner.
Argentina had an immediate opportunity to equalise after Nicolas Tagliafico won a penalty, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced a superb save to deny Messi from the spot.
Shobeir continued to frustrate the South Americans, keeping out efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi also rattled the crossbar with a free-kick as Egypt carried a deserved 1-0 advantage into half-time.
The Pharaohs believed they had doubled their lead early in the second half through Mostafa Ziko, only for VAR to rule the goal out. They were not denied for long, however, as Ziko capped a swift counterattack in the 67th minute, finishing off a move created by Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan to make it 2-0.
Facing elimination, Argentina threw numbers forward and finally found a breakthrough in the 79th minute when Romero headed home from Messi’s perfectly delivered free-kick.
Momentum quickly shifted, and just four minutes later Messi restored parity with a powerful strike from the edge of the box that squeezed past Shobeir after clipping the goalkeeper’s gloves and the underside of the crossbar.
With extra time appearing inevitable, Argentina completed the comeback in stoppage time. A loose ball fell to Enzo Fernandez on the edge of the area, and the midfielder calmly guided a low finish into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory.
The victory sends Argentina into the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-finals, where they will face the winners of the Round of 16 encounter between Switzerland and Colombia.
