Argentina staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 and secure a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after overturning a two-goal deficit in an enthralling Round of 16 encounter.
The defending champions fell behind in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from a well-executed corner routine. Argentina were handed an immediate opportunity to respond after Haissem Hassan committed a foul inside the penalty area, but Lionel Messi’s spot-kick was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who recorded his second penalty save of the tournament.
Shobeir continued to frustrate the South Americans throughout the opening half, denying Alexis Mac Allister from close range, watching Messi’s free-kick crash against the woodwork, and keeping out Julián Álvarez with another excellent stop as Egypt carried their lead into the interval.
Egypt believed they had doubled their advantage shortly after the restart when Mostafa Ziko found the net, but the effort was ruled out following a VAR review for a foul in the build-up. The Pharaohs eventually extended their lead in the 67th minute after Mohamed Salah launched a swift counterattack before Haissem Hassan set up Ziko, who made no mistake from close range.
Argentina finally sparked their comeback in the 79th minute as Cristian Romero powered home a header from Messi’s cross. Four minutes later, Messi atoned for his earlier penalty miss by curling a superb strike into the net from outside the box, drawing Argentina level and scoring in his ninth consecutive World Cup appearance.
Just as extra time appeared inevitable, Lautaro Martínez burst into space in stoppage time and delivered a pinpoint cross for Enzo Fernández, whose header in the 92nd minute completed an incredible turnaround and sealed Argentina’s place in the last eight.
Argentina will now face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals as they continue their quest to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the FIFA World Cup title. Egypt, meanwhile, bowed out of the tournament after surrendering a commanding two-goal lead.
Despite inspiring Argentina’s comeback, Messi also set an unwanted World Cup record. The Argentine captain became the first player to miss two penalties in a single FIFA World Cup tournament, excluding shoot-outs. He has now failed to convert four of his eight World Cup penalties, with previous misses coming against Iceland in 2018, Poland in 2022, Austria earlier in the 2026 tournament, and now Egypt.