ATLANTA — Lionel Messi turned the match in the final minutes as Argentina recovered from a 2-0 deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 and advance to the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals. Messi assisted on Argentina’s first goal, scored the equalizer in the 84th minute and was involved in the play that led to Enzo Fernández’s winner in the second minute of stoppage time.
Egypt had taken a shock lead when Yasser Ibrahim headed home Marawan Attia’s cross after 15 minutes. The visitors doubled their advantage when Mostafa Zico swept home Haissem Hassan’s low cross, and an earlier Zico effort was ruled out for a foul at the start of the build-up roughly 20 seconds before the ball crossed the line.
Six minutes after Egypt’s opener, Messi missed a penalty when Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir saved his left-footed attempt, the Argentina captain’s second miss of the tournament. Messi later delivered a pinpoint cross that Cristian Romero converted, then equalized with a fierce shot that rattled in off the crossbar, sparking loud celebration from an Argentina-heavy crowd at Atlanta Stadium.
Manager Lionel Scaloni said the victory required “grit, intensity, guts and the spirit we carry with us,” adding that his players brought “that extra measure of spirit, drive and refusal to lose.” The team advanced despite a game in which Messi had limited progressive numbers, the report noted, and the captain left the field in tears at the final whistle.
Mohamed Salah and Egypt were lauded for their performance, with the report calling Hossam Hassan’s side “outstanding” and saying Salah was influential until the final 10 minutes. Messi now has eight goals in this World Cup and leads the tournament scoring race as Argentina move on to the quarterfinals.
