ATLANTA: Defending champion Argentina came from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2, securing a place in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Egypt stunned Argentina with two first-half goals after Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring before Mostafa Ziko doubled the lead.
Argentina had an opportunity to equalize earlier in the match, but captain Lionel Messi failed to convert a penalty after Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shabir made a crucial save.
Ziko also had another goal ruled out for a foul before scoring Egypt’s second to give his side a commanding 2-0 advantage.
Argentina mounted a dramatic comeback in the closing stages of the second half. The South American side scored its first goal in the 80th minute before Messi leveled the match three minutes later.
Argentina completed the turnaround with a late winner to seal a 3-2 victory and advance to the quarterfinals.
The win keeps Argentina’s title defense alive, while Egypt’s World Cup campaign came to an end despite its strong first-half performance.
More read, Messi becomes first to score in 7 straight World Cup games while extending goals record
Earlier, Lionel Messi broke another record after coming off the bench to score for defending champions Argentina at the FIFA World Cup.
Messi scored a second-half free-kick as Argentina beat Jordan 3-1 in Arlington, Texas on Sunday (AEST).
With this goal, the 39-year-old became the first player ever to score in seven straight World Cup appearances.
Messi started on the bench in Argentina’s Group J final match, as the team had already qualified for the Round of 32 against debutants Cape Verde.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner came on after an hour and scored 20 minutes later.
