The South American giants appeared destined for an early exit after a resilient Egyptian side took complete control of the contest for much of the match. However, three goals in the final 15 minutes transformed the game and ensured Lionel Messi and his teammates remained on course to defend their world title.
Egypt made a dream start when Yasser Ibrahim broke the deadlock in the 15th minute, sending the Pharaohs’ supporters into celebration. The African side continued to frustrate Argentina with disciplined defending and dangerous counterattacks.
They thought they had doubled their advantage before the hour mark when Mostafa Zico finished off a swift break after being set up by Mohamed Salah. However, following a lengthy VAR review, the goal was ruled out after officials spotted a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez in the build-up.
Undeterred, Egypt eventually found their second goal in the 67th minute, with Zico once again finding the net to put his side 2-0 ahead and leave the defending champions staring at elimination.
Argentina had opportunities to get back into the contest earlier in the game, but their frustrations grew when Lionel Messi failed to convert from the penalty spot in the first half. Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed correctly to deny the Argentine captain before producing several outstanding saves to keep Egypt in command. The missed penalty also saw Messi become the first player to miss two penalties at a single FIFA World Cup tournament, excluding penalty shootouts.
With the clock ticking down, Argentina produced the kind of fightback that has defined champions throughout football history.
Cristian Romero sparked the revival in the 79th minute, rising highest to power home a header from Messi’s perfectly delivered cross and give Argentina renewed belief.
Only four minutes later, Messi made amends for his earlier penalty miss by calmly slotting home the equaliser, igniting celebrations among the Argentine fans and setting up a dramatic finale.
The decisive moment arrived in stoppage time when Enzo Fernández completed the sensational turnaround with a clinical finish in the 93rd minute. Egypt desperately appealed for two penalties during a frantic closing spell, but both appeals were waved away as Argentina held on to complete one of the greatest comebacks ever witnessed at the FIFA World Cup.
The victory earned Argentina a unique place in World Cup history, making them the first team ever to recover from a two-goal deficit after the 78th minute and still win a match in normal time.
Messi also continued to rewrite the record books. His equalising goal made him the first player to score in six consecutive FIFA World Cup knockout matches. The 39-year-old has now scored eight goals at the 2026 tournament, the highest tally by any player through a team’s first five matches at a World Cup since Gerd Müller scored 10 goals for West Germany in 1970.
While Argentina celebrate a remarkable escape and book their place in the quarter-finals, Egypt depart the tournament with their heads held high after producing a performance that pushed the reigning champions to their absolute limit.
Argentina will now face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals as they continue their quest to successfully defend the FIFA World Cup crown.
