Defending champions Argentina produced a dramatic second-half comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, overturning a two-goal deficit to book their place in the quarter-finals.
The thrilling knockout clash, played in Atlanta, United States, saw Lionel Messi inspire Argentina after a difficult first half in which Egypt looked on course for one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
Egypt took the lead through Yasser Ibrahim before Argentina was handed a golden opportunity to equalize from the penalty spot. However, captain Lionel Messi failed to convert as Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir made a superb save to preserve his side’s advantage.
Egypt thought they had doubled their lead through Mostafa Ziko, but the effort was ruled out for a foul following a VAR review. Moments later, Ziko found the net again with a brilliant finish; this time the goal stood, giving Egypt a commanding 2-0 lead.
Argentina mounted an incredible fightback in the closing stages of the match. Defender Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 80th minute before Messi redeemed his earlier penalty miss by scoring the equalizer just three minutes later to make it 2-2.
With extra time looming, Argentina completed the comeback when Enzo Fernández scored the decisive winner in the dying moments, sealing a dramatic 3-2 victory and sending the reigning world champions into the last eight.
Argentina’s goals came from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernández, while Egypt’s scorers were Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko.
The victory extends Argentina’s quest to successfully defend the FIFA World Cup title they won in Qatar in 2022. Lionel Scaloni’s side will now face the winner of the Colombia vs Switzerland Round of 16 clash in the quarter-finals.
The match also featured a tense moment on the sidelines, with Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan receiving a yellow card after repeatedly protesting the referee’s decisions during the second half.