For 79 minutes, Egypt were the story. For the final 23, Argentina reminded everyone why they are world champions. Three goals in eleven minutes. A missed penalty redeemed. A comeback that Atlanta Stadium will not forget.
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Egypt Build a Lead — and Nearly Make It Two
Egypt’s plan was clear from the first whistle, and they executed it with conviction. A short corner routine in the 15th minute freed Marwan Attia on the flank. His delivery to the back post was precise. Yasser Ibrahim, winning the jump over Lisandro Martínez, powered a header past Emiliano Martínez. Egypt 1–0.
Argentina’s response came immediately — a penalty won by Tagliafico after a foul by Ahmed Hassan. Lionel Messi stepped up. Shobeir dived left, guessed correctly, and saved it. The lead held.
In the 59th minute, Egypt came within a VAR decision of going 2–0. Mostafa Ziko slotted into the net following a counter-attack initiated by Haissem Hassan and Mohamed Salah — but the review found a foul by Attia on Martínez at the very beginning of the phase. Disallowed. Egypt’s lead remained one. But not for long.
Ziko Makes It Two — Egypt in Complete Control
The disallowed goal did not unsettle Egypt. Eight minutes later, in the 67th minute, they scored it for real. Another counter, another selfless pass from Salah, and another run from Hassan down the right wing. His cut-back found Ziko, who buried a clinical finish. 2–0.
At that point, Argentina faced the very real possibility of elimination. They had a Messi penalty miss on their record, a 2–0 deficit against an organised Egyptian side, and 23 minutes to find two goals.
Romero, Messi, Fernández — Three Goals in Thirteen Minutes
The 79th minute. Argentina won a set-piece and sent everyone forward. Cristian Romero, the centre-back who has made a habit of decisive moments in this tournament, rose highest and powered a header home. Mostafa Shobeir touched the ball but could not keep it out of the net. 2–1. Belief flooded back into an Argentine side that had been second-best for most of the match.
Five minutes later, Argentina floated a cross from the right into a crowded box. Egypt failed to clear. Substitute Gonzalo Montiel fought for the ball and kept it alive with a decisive touch. It broke loose into the centre of the box, and Messi reacted instantly — a powerful strike that hit the underside of the crossbar and burst past Shobeir. 2–2.
Egypt, who had defended so well for so long, were suddenly desperately holding on. In the 90th minute plus two, Lautaro Martínez delivered a cross from the right. Enzo Fernández met it with a directed header into the corner. 3–2. Argentina had scored three times in thirteen minutes to complete one of the greatest comebacks in FIFA World Cup history.
Shobeir — Outstanding in Defeat
Egypt were beaten. But Mostafa Shobeir was not. The Egyptian goalkeeper saved a Messi penalty, denied Mac Allister at close range in the first half, and made multiple interventions throughout the match that kept his side in front for as long as they were. He conceded three goals in eleven minutes against a side that simply would not accept defeat. That is not a goalkeeper’s failure. That is a great team refusing to go out.
Messi — Penalty Miss, Redemption, and the Quarter-Finals
Two penalty misses in the World Cup for Messi now. The story before kick-off was about whether he could perform under the weight of the expectation of defending champions. The answer, ultimately, was yes — a goal, a comeback, a quarter-final. But the pattern of missed penalties is one Argentina’s coaching staff will be watching closely as the tournament progresses.
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Argentina will face the winner of Switzerland vs Colombia in the quarter-finals. They came through here. Not comfortably. Not cleanly. But they came through.
The quarter-finals of FIFA World Cup 2026™ are coming. Watch every match live in India on ZEE 5.
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