Defending champion Argentina mounted a stunning late-match comeback Tuesday, scoring three times in the final moments of play to defeat Egypt 3-2 in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. With the victory, Argentina advances to face either No. 11 Colombia or No. 15 Switzerland in a quarterfinal Saturday in Kansas City, Mo.
Egypt opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim headed home a corner kick. Argentina had a clear opportunity to equalize shortly after, but Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir stopped a penalty kick from Lionel Messi. Egypt extended its lead to 2-0 in the 67th minute when Mostafa Ziko finished a quick counterattack following an assist from Haissem Hassan. A potential third Egyptian goal was ruled out following a VAR review, leaving the defending champions with a lifeline.
Argentina’s comeback began in the 79th minute when Cristian Romero headed home Messi’s cross. Four minutes later, Messi redeemed his earlier penalty miss by firing in the equalizer for his eighth goal of the tournament and the 21st World Cup goal of his career. Deep into stoppage time, Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround with a header from Lautaro Martínez’s cross, sealing one of the most remarkable victories of the competition and extending Argentina’s title defense.
The victory preserved Argentina’s hopes of becoming the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend a men’s World Cup title. While Messi’s missed penalty briefly threatened to overshadow his performance, the 39-year-old captain finished with a goal and an assist, taking the lead in the tournament’s Golden Boot race and once again proving decisive in one of the World Cup’s most memorable knockout matches. Egypt exited despite a courageous display that had the reigning champions on the verge of an early departure.
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