Suffer to live. The Argentina of Lionel Scaloni and Lionel Messi completed an epic comeback when they found themselves with two goals down and with only 13 minutes left in the match, but managed to win 3-2 over Egypt and will be in the quarterfinals against the winner of Switzerland-Colombia.
Cristian Romero (79′), Lionel Messi (83′) and Enzo Fernández (92′) scored for the “albiceleste” team in a heart-stopping match in the round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Yasser Ibrahim (15′) and Mostafa Zico (67′) had ahead of the Egyptians although in the end it was not enough for them.
From the first stages the North Africans confirmed that they are capable of dominating the ball in different stages of the match and also of irritating the rival with advanced and intense pressure.
It was something that ultimately the “Scaloneta” pupils foresaw, who immediately understood that they had to refine the passing lines to the maximum to do damage.
But, after creating a scare with a play by De Paul – canceled for offside – that Enzo sent wide with the whole goal facing, it was Egypt that struck first.
Upon receiving a foul, a ball thrown into the area from the right by Marawan Attia found the center back Yasser Ibrahim, who gained position over Lisandro Martínez to head directly into the net. 1-0 for the “Pharaohs”.
The goal did not discourage Argentina, and just three minutes later a fine pass between the lines planted Tagliafico on the right flank of the area, who was run over by Haissem Hassan who arrived very late to the play. Penalty in favor of Argentina and Messi at the end. However, goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed the shot to “La Pulga” and the disadvantage for the gauchos remained the same.
The first hydration break perfectly illustrated the panorama, with the Argentines immediately returning to the field after barely wet their mouths, knowing that they would have to play with a score against for the first time in a long time – the last time they were behind in an official match was when they lost to Saudi Arabia in 2022 – and on top of that against a very tough opponent.
The response was again immediate, with Alexis Mac Allister heading a delivery from Rodrigo De Paul that saved the Egyptian goal and then Messi sending a free-kick to the outside of Shobeir’s right post after half an hour of play.
The Egyptian goalkeeper would repeat his effort by saving a shot from Julián Álvarez after a drop shot by Nicolás Tagliafico, which was a dagger from the left in the first half.
The Argentines generated, but did not score and thus concluded a first half in which the team created 7 chances compared to only 2 for the Egyptians.
The restart was more complicated for an “albiceleste” team that saw how the Egyptians were increasingly comfortable in the trenches, waiting for a failure to go out at full speed. And so it was; A spectacular slalom by Haissem Hassan on the counter ended with Mostafa Zico beating “Dibu” Martínez.
The Argentine fans, very vocal until then, breathed a sigh of relief when the French referee reviewed the VAR and annulled the goal by ruling that there had been a previous stomp on defender Lisandro Martínez.
There was half an hour left and it seemed that Argentina had at least a couple of lives left, but just six minutes later Egypt hit the table again with the same protagonists when a counterattack led by Salah found Hassan on the right.
The Oviedo attacker managed to reach the baseline after getting rid of his marker and put the 0-2 on a plate for Zico, who did not forgive. Joy in the North African team that made the Argentines tremble.
Tears of Messi
Coach Scaloni had already removed the bench, bringing on Lautaro Martínez and Nico González, and when it seemed increasingly difficult to penetrate the minefield planted by “The Pharaohs” in their area, Messi looked up and found Cristian Romero’s head to close the gap.
Again the leadership of “Cuti”, as against Cape Verde, and again the world champion using pure heart. 1-2 at 79 minutes of the complement.
No sooner said than done; Just four minutes later, GOAT Messi volleyed a ball with his left foot that the rivals had failed to save after a bicycle kick from “Toro” Lautaro in the area. 2-2 to shout it with our soul.
And the best was still missing: in another dangerous match against the Egyptian Salah lost the ball at the corner of the Argentinians’ area, who responded by finding Lautaro running down the right side.
Only Enzo Fernández was waiting in the African area and that was where the Bahía Blanca forward put the ball, in the precise spot for the Argentine midfielder to cross it head-first into the net. 3-2 heart-stopping. The current champion resisting death and wasting his lineage to achieve victory.
And so, Argentina, which found itself in deep water, completed an epic comeback in record time, 13 minutes, which placed Scaloni’s boys in the quarterfinals against the winner of the Switzerland-Colombia duel.
This is how they aligned
– Argentina (3): Emiliano Martínez; Nahuel Molina (Gonzalo Montiel, m.73), Cristian Romero (Otamendi, m.95), Lisandro Martínez, Nicolás Tagliafico (Nico González, m.66); Rodrigo De Paul (Lautaro Martínez, m.66), Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernández; Julián Álvarez (Facundo Medina, m.95) and Lionel Messi.
– Selector: Lionel Scaloni.
– Egypt (2): Mostafa Shobeir; Mohamed Hany, Ramy Rabia, Yasser Ibrahim, Karim Hafez; Marawan Attia, Emman Ashour (Hamdy Fathy, m.45), Mohanad Lashin (Zizo, m.96), Mostafa Zico; Haissem Hassan and Mohamed Salah.
– Selector: Hossam Hassan.
– Goals: 0-1, m.15: Yasser Ibrahim. 0-2, m.67: Mostafa Zico. 1-2, m.79: Cristian Romero. 2-2, m.83: Lionel Messi. 3-2, m.92: Enzo Fernández.
– Referee: François Letexier (France). Egypt booked Attia, goalkeeping coach Saafan Elsaghir and sent off Fathy for a double warning in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
– Incidents: Round of 16 match of the 2026 World Cup played at the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta in front of some 68,239 spectators (full).
(With a report from Andrés Sánchez Braun, from EFE)
