Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup 2026 – Round of 16 – Argentina v Egypt – Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. – July 7, 2026 Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Just when you thought Argentina was dead in the water, the defending world champions found one more rabbit to pull out of the proverbial hat, scoring three goals in a 14-minute span late in the second half to overturn a 2-0 deficit and shock Egypt, 3-2, in the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta.
After Egyptian punches from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko landed to put the underdogs in the driver’s seat, Cristian Romero pulled Argentina’s first back in the 79th minute when he headed a Lionel Messi cross in the six-yard box while uncontested.
Messi then recorded his eighth goal of this World Cup, taking the Golden Boot lead, to tie things up just four minutes later, when he got on the end of a scramble in the Egyptian box and cannoned it off the crossbar and in.
Enzo Fernandez provided the winner in the third minute of stoppage time when he got on the end of a counter-attacking Lauturo Martinez cross from the right to complete one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history.
It is the second time in a week that a team has overturned a two-goal lead in the dying embers of a match. Belgium trailed Senegal 2-0 before Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans scored three minutes apart in the 86th and 89th minutes, before winning in extra time.
Before that, no other team in the last 48 years had overturned a two-goal deficit to win a World Cup knockout-stage game.
With its spot in the quarterfinals now booked, Argentina will face the winner of Switzerland and Colombia, which will be decided later on Tuesday evening. They will undoubtedly be on tired legs, though, specifically regarding the 39-year-old Messi.
Argentina needed extra time to hold off the valiant underdogs, Cape Verde, in the Round of 16, which featured one of the goals of the tournament by Sidney Lopes Cabral in the 103rd minute.
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