Lionel Messi inspired a stunning late comeback as Argentina recovered from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash on Tuesday, sealing a place in the quarter-finals after surviving a major scare from the spirited North Africans.
Egypt looked on course for one of the tournament’s biggest upsets after goals from Youssef Ibrahim and Mohamed Zakaria Abdelraouf put them 2-0 ahead before the Albiceleste produced a remarkable late fightback.
The Pharaohs stunned the favourites in the 15th minute when Ibrahim finished confidently after being set up by Mohamed Attia, silencing the Argentine supporters.
Argentina had a golden opportunity to level six minutes later after being awarded a penalty, but captain Messi failed to convert from the spot as Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed Shobeir preserved his side’s advantage.
The South Americans dominated possession for much of the first half but struggled to break down Egypt’s disciplined defence, going into the interval trailing 1-0.
Argentina thought they had drawn level shortly after the restart, only for a VAR review in the 58th minute to rule out what would have been an equaliser, much to the frustration of Messi and his team-mates.
The setback appeared to hand Egypt renewed confidence and they doubled their lead in the 67th minute when Abdelraouf fired home after excellent work from Hassan Hassan, leaving the two-time world champions on the brink of elimination.
With time running out, Argentina finally found a way back into the contest in the 79th minute as defender Cristian Romero headed home from a Messi delivery to halve the deficit.
Just four minutes later, Messi atoned for his earlier penalty miss by finding the net with a composed finish after being picked out by Gonzalo Montiel, bringing Argentina level at 2-2 and setting up a frantic finale.
The decisive moment arrived deep into stoppage time when Enzo Fernández completed the comeback in the 92nd minute, finishing clinically from Lautaro Martínez’s assist to send the Argentine bench and supporters into wild celebrations.
Tempers flared in the closing moments as Egypt’s Mohamed Shobeir and Hamdy Fathy were both shown yellow cards during a tense finish, but Argentina held on to secure a dramatic victory.
The win sends Messi’s side into the World Cup quarter-finals, where they will continue their quest for another global title, while Egypt bow out with their heads held high after pushing one of the tournament favourites to the limit in a memorable last-16 encounter.
