Match Report: Argentina 3-2 Egypt

Argentina came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in a thrilling Round of 16 match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, keeping their title defence alive and securing a place in the quarter finals.

Egypt made the perfect start and took the lead in the 15th minute. Marwan Attia delivered an excellent cross and Yasser Ibrahim rose highest to head the ball into the net for his second international goal.

In the 19th minute, Argentina were awarded a penalty after Nicolás Tagliafico was brought down inside the box. However, Mostafa Shobeir came to Egypt’s rescue once again, diving the right way to deny Lionel Messi from the spot and hand the Argentine captain his second penalty miss of the tournament.

Argentina responded by piling on the pressure, dominating possession and creating chance after chance. Yet Shobeir continued to frustrate the reigning champions, producing a string of outstanding saves to keep out Alexis Mac Allister, Tagliafico and several other efforts.

Messi came close again in the 31st minute when his curling free kick crashed against the post. Moments later, Julián Álvarez went even closer after meeting an acrobatic cut-back from Nicolás Tagliafico, but Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced an outstanding save to deny him. Despite Argentina’s relentless pressure, Egypt stood firm and took their 1-0 advantage into the half-time break.

Argentina continued to push after half-time but left space at the back as they searched for an equaliser.

Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage in the 58th minute when Mostafa Ziko ran onto a perfectly placed through ball from Mohamed Salah and fired past Emiliano Martínez. However, the Egyptian celebrations were cut short after a VAR review ruled out the goal for a foul in the build-up.

The Pharaohs refused to let the setback affect them and finally got the second goal their performance deserved in the 67th minute. Haissem Hassan sparked a swift counter-attack before picking out Mostafa Ziko, who kept his composure to slot home his second goal of the tournament and put Egypt 2-0 ahead.

Argentina refused to give up and mounted a remarkable comeback.

Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute, rising highest to head home from Lionel Messi’s pinpoint cross. Just four minutes later, Messi brought Argentina level with a composed finish to complete a stunning comeback. His assist saw him become the leading assist provider in FIFA World Cup history, while his goal made him the first player to score in nine consecutive World Cup matches. The Argentine captain now holds the records for both the most goals and the most assists in World Cup history.

With both sides pushing for a winner, substitute Lautaro Martínez made the difference. The Inter Milan forward provided a superb cross for Enzo Fernández, who powered a header into the net deep into stoppage time to complete a dramatic 3-2 victory and send Argentina into the quarter-finals.

The reigning world champions showed great determination to overturn the deficit and will now face Switzerland in the last eight on the 11th of July.

For Egypt, it was a heartbreaking end to a memorable tournament. The Pharaohs let a two-goal lead slip but can still be proud after reaching the World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history.