Messi Sparks Argentina Comeback to Beat Egypt
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Lionel Messi assisted Cristian Romero's opener, scored the 84th-minute equalizer off the crossbar, and contributed to Enzo Fernández's stoppage-time winner as Argentina overcame a 2-0 deficit against Egypt in Atlanta to reach the quarterfinals
- Egypt took a 2-0 lead through Yasser Ibrahim's 15th-minute header and Mostafa Ziko's second-half finish, with Mohamed Salah influential throughout before the late collapse
- Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir saved Messi's first-half penalty and made two more point-blank stops, holding Argentina at bay for nearly 80 minutes and joining Cape Verde's Vozinha and Curacao's Eloy Room in standout World Cup performances
- VAR was at the center of post-match controversy: Ziko saw a goal ruled out after Ateya was judged to have fouled Lisandro Martínez, while VAR declined to review Alexis Mac Allister's shirt-pull on an Egypt attacker in the buildup to Fernández's winner
- Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni credited his team's character: "When things aren't going your way, there isn't just one way to win. It takes grit, intensity, guts, and the spirit we carry with us."
- Messi now has eight World Cup goals, leading the Golden Boot race, but also saw his record fall to four missed penalties out of eight career World Cup attempts from the spot
Why it matters: Messi, at 39, moved to eight World Cup goals — leading the Golden Boot race — and his late heroics keep Argentina's title defense alive into the quarterfinals. Egypt exits aggrieved: a VAR-disallowed goal and an unreviewed shirt-pull preceded Argentina's stoppage-time winner.
