Argentina produced one of the most dramatic comebacks of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, overturning a two-goal deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 and book their place in the quarter-finals, with Lionel Messi once again at the heart of the action.
The defending champions looked on course for a shock exit in Tuesday’s Round of 16 clash in Atlanta after Egypt raced into a 2-0 lead, but a late surge saw Argentina score three times in the final 11 minutes to keep their title defence alive.
The victory also saw Messi move to the top of the tournament’s Golden Boot standings. His equaliser was his eighth goal of the competition, putting him ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland in the race to finish as the tournament’s leading scorer.
Egypt made a dream start when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from Marwan Attia’s cross in the 15th minute to give the African side an early lead.
Argentina had an immediate chance to respond after Nicolas Tagliafico was brought down in the penalty area, but Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir produced a superb save to deny Messi from the spot. The miss marked Messi’s second failed penalty of the tournament.
Shoubir continued to frustrate Argentina with outstanding saves to keep out Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi also struck the post with a curling free-kick as Egypt held their advantage going into halftime.
Egypt thought they had doubled their lead early in the second half, only for Mostafa Zico’s effort to be ruled out after a VAR review. The setback proved temporary, as Zico soon found the net moments later, finishing off a swift counterattack led by Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan to make it 2-0.
With just over 10 minutes remaining, Argentina appeared destined for a stunning elimination.
Instead, the world champions produced an extraordinary turnaround.
Cristian Romero sparked the comeback in the 79th minute by heading in Messi’s cross to reduce the deficit.
Four minutes later, Messi levelled the score after substitutes Lautaro Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel kept the move alive, firing home to make it 2-2 and reclaim the outright Golden Boot lead.
Argentina completed the comeback deep into stoppage time when Lautaro Martinez delivered a precise cross for Enzo Fernandez, who calmly headed past Shoubir to seal a memorable 3-2 victory.
The final whistle prompted emotional celebrations, with Messi visibly moved after leading Argentina into another World Cup quarter-final.
Fernandez praised his teammates’ determination after the match.
“I’d been longing for this goal for three years. We have a phenomenal group that never gives up. We took advantage of the spaces they left us and achieved what we came here to do—represent our country with pride.”
Despite the defeat, Egypt earned widespread praise for a spirited display that pushed the defending champions to the limit. Shoubir was outstanding in goal, while Salah, Hassan and Zico caused Argentina problems throughout the contest.
“The victory was within our reach,” Shoubir said after the match. “We were only missing a few small details. Everyone saw how close we came, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.”
Argentina now advance to the quarter-finals full of belief, with Messi once again proving the difference as they continue their pursuit of back-to-back World Cup titles.
