Argentina secured a thrilling quarter-final spot with a dramatic comeback against Egypt in the World Cup. With time running out, the “Albiceleste” found themselves trailing 0-2, but an incredible turnaround occurred, led once again by Lionel Messi.
Lionel Messi dropped to his knees, covering his face with his hands. As the stadium erupted around him, Argentina’s superstar shed tears of joy—partly because they had narrowly avoided defeat. His teammates quickly scooped him up, celebrating their exhilarating comeback with a 3-2 win after being down 0-2 against Egypt.
“It was very difficult; we suffered, but this group never gives up, they fight until the end,” Messi said. “It’s unbelievable what they achieved in this knockout round. We turned the game around, and I’m happy that people can celebrate now.” Julian Alvarez praised his captain as a “legend” and the “best player in world history.”
It was Messi, of course, who made possible a “comeback for the ages,” as noted by Clarin. Spain found themselves down 0-2 against a resilient Egyptian side, but the 39-year-old provided an assist to Cristian Romero for the first goal (79′) and scored one himself shortly after (83′). Enzo Fernández sealed the win with a last-minute goal, ensuring their place in the quarter-finals.
“Epic! Heart of a champion!” celebrated La Nacion. Coach Lionel Scaloni had to cut his post-match interview short, overwhelmed by emotion: “I can’t do this anymore. This is too much. What a group of players! I really need to stop. I’m sorry.” With his 21st World Cup goal, Messi’s mission to defend the title continues: next up is a match against either Switzerland or Colombia in Kansas City on Sunday.
Similar Challenges as Against Cape Verde
Despite the happy ending for Argentina, the match in Atlanta did not look promising for a long time, especially after Messi missed a penalty (21′). He had also missed a penalty against Austria earlier. The Argentine players found themselves frustrated repeatedly against the outstanding goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.
Yasser Ibrahim scored the first goal with a header (15′), marking Argentina’s first deficit of the tournament. As Argentina pushed aggressively for an equalizer, Mostafa Zico struck again on a counterattack (67′), although his earlier goal was disallowed after a VAR review for a foul.
Similar to their tough victory in the Round of 16 against Cape Verde, Argentina’s offensive play was sluggish for long stretches. The combinations lacked pace, and Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan had promised “no easy game” for the world champions, with his team impressively delivering on that promise for much of the match.
Argentina Turns Up After Water Break
The North Africans enjoyed a strong start, often defending Messi with multiple players and effectively closing down spaces. Ibrahim’s goal from a corner rewarded Egypt for their dominant opening phase. However, they showed defensive weaknesses when Argentina upped their tempo.
After Nicolás Tagliafico was fouled in the penalty area, Messi missed the chance to equalize, prompting the Argentine squad to awaken. They pushed hard for a goal but consistently met the outstanding Shobeir, with Messi hitting the post from distance (31′).
Egypt managed little offensive support, defending deep in their half even in the second half while remaining dangerous on the break, nearly pushing Argentina to the brink of a loss. At the last water break, the Egyptians vowed to fortify themselves for the intense final stretch—one that turned out to be even hotter than expected.
