Argentina Mounts Historic Comeback to Keep World Cup Dream Alive
​The defending world champions narrowly avoided a shocking exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, staging a breathless late rally to defeat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 at Atlanta Stadium.
​Down 2-0 following an early header from Yasser Ibrahim and a 67th-minute counter-attack finish by Mostafa Ziko—and burdened by an earlier Lionel Messi penalty miss—Argentina looked completely down and out. However, a roaring final eleven minutes turned the tide completely.
​The Spark: Cristian Romero halved the deficit with a header in the 79th minute off a pinpoint cross from Messi.
​The Redemption: Lionel Messi quickly found the equalizer in the 83rd minute with a fierce first-time strike, marking his 8th goal of the tournament.
​The Winner: Enzo Fernández completed the dramatic turnaround two minutes into stoppage time, converting a bullet header to punch Argentina's ticket to the quarterfinals.
​An emotional Lionel Messi was seen shedding tears of relief after the final whistle, later admitting, "We didn't want to go home."
​What's Next?
​While the Egyptian camp left furious over controversial VAR decisions—including a disallowed goal earlier in the second half—Lionel Scaloni’s men are officially moving on. Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals after the Swiss advanced on penalties against Colombia.
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