Argentina Stage Stunning Comeback to Beat Egypt 3-2, Advance to the Quarterfinals

Defending champions Argentina survived a huge scare and came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic round of 16 match in front of 68,239 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, scoring three times in the final quarter of the game to book a quarterfinal spot.

Egypt, who had never won a World Cup match before this tournament, looked set to pull off one of the great upsets of the competition after taking a 2-0 lead and holding it deep into the second half. Instead, Argentina found a way through in the closing minutes, with Enzo Fernández heading in the winner two minutes into stoppage time.

Egypt struck first in the 15th minute, when Yasser Ibrahim rose above Lisandro Martínez to head home a cross from Marwan Attia. Argentina had a golden chance to respond soon after when Haissem Hassan fouled Nicolás Tagliafico in the box, but Lionel Messi's penalty was saved low to the goalkeeper's left by Mostafa Shobeir. It was the second penalty Messi has missed at this World Cup, and the fourth of his career at the finals.

Shobeir was outstanding for most of the first half, also denying headers and close-range efforts from Argentina before the break. Egypt had a goal ruled out by video review shortly before the hour mark, but Mostafa Zico made no mistake soon after, finishing off a move started by Hassan to put Egypt 2-0 up and within touching distance of one of the tournament's biggest shocks.

Argentina had struggled to create clear openings for most of the match, but the game turned in the final quarter-hour. Cristian Romero pulled a goal back in the 79th minute, heading in a towering finish set up by Messi. Four minutes later, Messi made up for his earlier miss himself, finishing from close range after Gonzalo Montiel found him in space to level the score at 2-2. With the match seemingly headed for extra time, Lautaro Martínez slipped a pass through to Fernández in the second minute of stoppage time, and the midfielder guided the winner past Shobeir to complete the comeback. The goal was also the 3,000th in World Cup history.

By the Numbers

Argentina dominated the game from start to finish in terms of territory and possession, finishing with somewhere between 61 and 64 percent of the ball and around 600 completed passes at better than 90 percent accuracy. The gap in attacking output was even wider. Argentina outshot Egypt roughly 19 to 5, with an expected-goals figure of around 2.9 to Egypt's under 1, and hit the woodwork once themselves. They also poured forward late, completing 74 entries into the final third compared with 26 for Egypt, and won a lopsided share of corners, around 6 to 1.

Despite that dominance, Egypt made their limited chances count in dramatic fashion, scoring twice from just a handful of shots on target and defending with real resolve for most of the match, winning the majority of their tackles and clearing well over 40 balls out of their own box. They picked up several yellow cards along the way, a sign of how much defending and tactical fouling it took to hold out as long as they did, including late bookings in the closing minutes as Argentina's pressure built to a breaking point.

Man of the Match

Messi was named the standout performer despite his missed penalty, finishing with a goal, an assist on Romero's header, and six key passes created across the match. He completed more than 40 of his passes, carried the ball forward repeatedly through the second half, and kept threatening even after his spot-kick was saved, ultimately proving decisive when it mattered most.

☝🏼✨ OFFICIAL: Leo Messi, Man of the Match for Argentina vs Egypt. pic.twitter.com/CIkj3iqIkZ

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 7, 2026

Zico and Ibrahim were both credited with strong individual performances for Egypt, while Shobeir's saves, including the stopped penalty, kept his side in the match for as long as it lasted. Argentina's Leandro Paredes and Fernández also stood out, with Paredes controlling tempo from midfield and Fernández pairing his late winner with a heavy passing workload.

What it Means

The win keeps Argentina's title defense alive and sends them into the quarterfinals, where they will face either Switzerland or Colombia. 

For Egypt, the defeat is a heartbreaking way to exit a tournament in which they beat Australia to reach the knockout rounds and came within minutes of eliminating the reigning champions altogether