Defending champions Argentina produced one of the greatest comebacks in FIFA World Cup history, scoring three times in the final 15 minutes to beat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic Round of 16 clash and keep their title defence alive.
Egypt stunned the world champions by taking the lead in the 15th minute through Yasser Ibrahim. They thought they had doubled their advantage before the hour mark when Mostafa Zico finished a swift counterattack from a Mohamed Salah assist, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review for a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez in the build-up.
The Pharaohs eventually got their second goal in the 67th minute, moving 2-0 ahead and leaving Argentina on the brink of elimination.
Argentina had earlier missed a chance to equalise when Lionel Messi saw his first-half penalty saved by Mostafa Shobeir, who produced a series of outstanding saves. The miss made Messi the first player to miss two penalties at a single FIFA World Cup, excluding shootouts.
With time running out, Argentina mounted a remarkable comeback. Cristian Romero headed home from Messi’s cross in the 79th minute before Messi levelled the score four minutes later.
Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround with a stoppage-time winner in the 93rd minute, moments after Egypt had unsuccessfully appealed for two penalties during a frantic finish.
Argentina became the first team in FIFA World Cup history to recover from a two-goal deficit after the 78th minute and win a match in normal time.
Messi’s equaliser added another record to his remarkable World Cup career. He became 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 FIFA World Cup, the most by any player through a team’s first five matches at a single tournament since Gerd Müller scored 10 for West Germany in 1970.
Argentina advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face either Switzerland or Colombia, while Egypt bow out after coming within minutes of one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
