Messi magically masks Argentina’s shortcomings in epic comeback win over Egypt

Lightning struck twice for Argentina.

Just four days after beating Cape Verde in extra time in the round of 32, Argentina found themselves in yet another setback. The defending champions were two goals down against Egypt, Lionel Messi missed a penalty and their title defense hung in the balance for a second straight knockout game.

Then came another escape.

Argentina vs Egypt, FIFA World Cup: HIGHLIGHTS

Cristiano Romero’s header changed the mood, Messi got the goal his performance deserved and Enzo Fernandez completed a stunning stoppage-time turnaround as Argentina fought back to beat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta and book their place in the quarter-finals. It was another night that showed why this side refuses to give up. This also raised familiar questions.

Television cameras quickly found Messi after the final whistle.

The Argentina captain had tears in his eyes again. That’s what stood out. He had already lifted the World Cup, he had already given Argentina the one trophy that had eluded him and the country for decades. Yet here he was again, overcome with emotion after winning the round of 16. It said a lot about how much it still means to him.

Messi was Argentina’s best player from start to finish. Yes, he missed a penalty and hit the post from a free kick, but he also finished with a goal and an assist and created almost every dangerous move. The bigger problem for Scaloni was not his captain’s performance. It was how often Argentina lacked ideas without him.

This becomes a pattern. An ugly victory is often the mark of champions. Each elimination game is not dependent on one player.

VAR DRAMA TURNS THE TIDE

Egypt deserved much more than sympathy. Hossam Hassan’s side were organised, brave and looked dangerous every time they went forward. Jásir Ibrahim’s first-half header gave them the lead, while Haissem Hassan caused problems with his pace and direct running. Mohamed Salah quietly pulled the strings whenever Egypt got ahead.

The biggest problem came at the start of the second half. Mostafa Zico thought he had doubled Egypt’s lead after a brilliant counter-attack but VAR spotted Marwan Attia’s foul on Lisandro Martinez much earlier. The decision was within the bounds of the law, but it was one of those calls that will be debated as it seemed to have little effect on the goal itself.

Egypt did not complain for long. They came back at the other end and scored again, this time without a hit. Hassan drove forward, Salah picked out the pass and Zico calmly finished. At 2:0, Argentina looked around.

MESSI’S HELP IS COMING

The comeback started with Romero attacking Messi’s cross like a striker. It continued as Messi finally got his goal after Egypt failed to clear their lines. At that point, Argentina had something they lacked for most of the evening, belief.

Scaloni’s changes also made a difference. Lautaro Martinez came on expecting to chase an own goal but instead showed patience as he picked out Enzo Fernandez, whose stoppage time header completed one of the wildest turns of the tournament. Suddenly, the players around Messi also made a decisive contribution to this.

Argentina are done and that’s all that matters tonight. But this was the second consecutive elimination game where they flirted with elimination before finding their way back. It speaks volumes about their character.

It also suggests that they will need a lot more from everyone who doesn’t wear the number 10 if they are to defend the World Cup.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

Jul 8, 2026 0:06 AM IST