Argentina staged one of the most dramatic comebacks of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as they overcame a two-goal deficit to beat 3-2 at the Atalanta Stadium and defended their title with three goals in the final 11 minutes. Lionel Scaloni’s side looked destined to go out after taking a 2-0 lead in Egypt, but Cristian Romero’s late goal sealed the deal. Lionel Messi Enzo Fernandez completed a stunning comeback to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Egypt came into the game with a strict defensive plan and performed well for most of the night. The Pharaohs’ compact formation prevented Argentina from finding space in the centre, and they frustrated the defending champions before opening the scoring from a set-piece in the 15th minute. Mohamed Salah led the counterattack, forcing Nicolás Tagliafico to concede a corner kick for the breakthrough. Emam Ashour delivered a tempting pass into the box and Yasser Ibrahim broke away from Lisandro Martínez before heading home powerfully from behind Emiliano Martínez to give Egypt an early lead.
Egypt’s Yasser Ibrahim (2) scores during the World Cup round of 16 football match between Argentina and Egypt on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Argentina reacted immediately and thought they had a great chance to equalize midway through the first half. Rodrigo De Paul played a wonderful pass for Julian Álvarez, but his quick turn was halted by Ramy Rabia tripping over his ankle. The referee pointed directly at the penalty spot, but Egypt goalkeeper Mustafa Schobel made one of the saves of the World Cup, diving low to his left to keep out Lionel Messi’s shot. Lautaro Martinez reacted fastest to the rebound but Mohamed Hani fought hard to maintain Egypt’s advantage on the stroke of half-time.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi (10) fails to take a penalty kick during the World Cup round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Although Argentina dominated possession after the restart, they struggled to break through Egypt’s organized defensive structure. On the contrary, the inferior team doubled the advantage through a devastating counterattack in the 67th minute. Marwan Attiyah intercepted Leandro Paredes’ ambitious cross-field pass and then immediately released Mohamed Salah on the right. The Liverpool striker accelerated away from Tagliafico and drove the ball into the box, but rather than take a shot himself, he cleverly passed the ball to Mustafa Chico. Zico put the ball unmarked past Nahuel Molina at the back post and into the roof of the net to give Egypt a 2-0 lead and leave the world champions facing an extraordinary elimination.
Egypt’s Mostafa Zico (11) scores the second goal during their World Cup round of 16 football match on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Scaloni responded by moving more players forward, pushing Cristian Romero forward in the attacking phase while instructing his team to get crosses into the box early on. Tactical adjustments changed the game. Argentina finally found a chance to counterattack in the 79th minute with another set piece. A short corner gave Enzo Fernandez space on the edge of the area before the Chelsea midfielder delivered a provocative cross to the far post. Romero’s run was perfectly timed as he stood up behind Karim Hafeez and curled a powerful header past Schauber and into the far corner to close the gap.
Argentina’s Cristian Romero scores the first goal during the World Cup round of 16 football match on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
The equalizer came just four minutes later. Shobel’s long kick was intercepted by DePaul near the midfield, and the Egyptian team failed to clear the ball. Julian Alvarez ran straight at the retreating defender before deftly flicking a reverse pass to Messi. The Argentina captain took a cool touch and then coolly fired a low shot into the bottom corner to make up for a missed penalty and level the defending champions at 2-2.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal during the World Cup round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
As the momentum completely shifted, Argentina continued to press for the winning goal while Egypt retreated into their own half. The decisive moment came in second-half stoppage time. Alexis McAllister passed the ball to Nahuel Molina on the right wing, and the full-back immediately passed the ball into the crowded penalty area. Enzo Fernandez arrived from deep in midfield and timed his run between the Egyptian centre-backs perfectly before firing his header into the top corner to complete a remarkable comeback and spark wild celebrations from Argentina’s players.
Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez (24) celebrates his team’s third goal during the World Cup round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
The statistics reflect Argentina’s territorial dominance, even as Egypt threatens to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the World Cup. Albiceleste ended the game with 61% of possession, taking 17 shots to Egypt’s 4, having 7 shots on target compared to Egypt’s 2, and won nine corner kicks while maintaining pressure in the closing stages. Egypt, meanwhile, defended for long periods of time despite 14 fouls and yellow cards by Rami Rabia, Marwan Atiyah and goalkeeper Mustafa Shobel. Argentina received yellow cards for Rodrigo De Paul and Christian Romero. For nearly 80 minutes, Egypt got the defending champions exactly where they wanted them to be. But Romero’s header reignited Argentina’s faith, Messi came into play when his team needed him most and Fernandez completed a comeback that will go down as one of the most memorable knockout wins of the 2026 World Cup. Argentina now advance to the quarter-finals with their title intact, while Egypt exited the World Cup having pushed the world champions to their absolute limits.
