2026 World Cup: Argentina roar back to beat Egypt and make quarter-finals in epic fashion
Lionel Messi scored and assisted as Argentina battled from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2 and advance to the 2026 World Cup quarter-final.
The defending champions fell behind when Yasser Ibrahim won a battle in the air with Lisandro Martinez, before heading beyond Emiliano Martinez to give Egypt a shock lead.
Just minutes later, Argentina won a penalty when Nicolas Tagliafico was brought down by Haissem Hassan, and Messi had the chance to hit back instantly.
But he could not add to his tournament-leading seven goals, as he missed his second penalty of the 2026 World Cup to become the first player in history to miss two penalties (excluding shoot-outs) in a World Cup campaign.
In the second half, Mostafa Ziko thought he put Egypt 2-0 up after a thrilling counter-attack goal, before it was ruled out for a foul in the build-up.
However, Ziko eventually did get his goal and Egypt’s second in the 67th minute to send Argentina’s hopes of becoming the first team to retain the World Cup for 64 years into huge doubt.
With 11 minutes on the clock, Cristian Romero grabbed one back for Argentina, heading home Messi's pinpoint delivery to set up a frantic finale.
Just four minutes later, the ball dropped to Messi in the box, and he smashed a first-time strike off the underside of the bar and over the line to send the Atlanta Stadium into chaos.
With the game set for extra time, Argentina burst forward through Lautaro Martinez, who swung in a deep cross from the right for Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez to expertly guide a header into the far corner to clinch a dramatic win for Argentina.