Messi Leads Argentina's 3-2 Comeback vs Egypt
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- Argentina completed a 3-2 comeback win over Egypt in the 2026 World Cup round of 16 at Atlanta Stadium after trailing 2-0 with just over 10 minutes left, with goals from Cristian Romero (Messi assist), Messi in the 84th minute, and Enzo Fernández in the 2nd minute of stoppage time
- Messi also missed a first-half penalty saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir — his 4th miss in 8 World Cup penalty attempts — and now has 8 tournament goals to lead the Golden Boot race at age 39
- Egypt took a 2-0 lead through Yasser Ibrahim's 15th-minute header and Mostafa Zico's 58th-minute strike, and saw Zico's earlier goal controversially disallowed by VAR for a minimal challenge on Lisandro Martínez that referee Francois Letexier was called to review
- VAR failed to intervene when replays showed Alexis Mac Allister shirt-pulled an Egypt attacker in the penalty area during the buildup to Fernández's winning goal, prompting Egypt's bench fury and multiple player bookings in the aftermath
- Mohamed Salah was central to Egypt's play until the final 10 minutes, providing the assist on Zico's first goal and the pass for the ruled-out strike
- Mostafa Shoubir held Argentina at bay for nearly 80 minutes with multiple point-blank saves beyond the penalty stop, joining Cape Verde's Vozinha among goalkeepers who have saved their best performances against the defending champions
Why it matters: Argentina advance to defend their World Cup title in the quarterfinals, while Egypt are eliminated after a performance that outplayed the champions for 75-plus minutes — a result shaped by two VAR interventions, one overturning an Egypt goal for a marginal foul and one not taken on a shirt pull before the winner, which the source notes Egypt will demand answers for.
