[UPI]
[UPI]

Argentina scored three goals in the final 11 minutes to overturn a two-goal deficit and defeat Egypt in a dramatic round-of-16 match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Led by coach Lionel Scaloni, Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2 at Atlanta Stadium in Georgia on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals.

Trailing 0-2 as late as the 79th minute, Argentina scored three consecutive goals in 11 minutes to eliminate Egypt. The defending champions had been on the verge of one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history before staging a late comeback.

Egypt took the lead in the 14th minute through Yasser Ibrahim.

In the 21st minute, Nicolas Tagliafico won a penalty for Argentina and Lionel Messi stepped up to take it, but Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir made the save. The miss was Messi's fourth missed penalty in World Cup history.

Argentina's situation worsened when Mostafa Zico added a second goal in the 67th minute, extending Egypt's lead to 2-0.

Egypt appeared to score again in the 58th minute, but the goal was disallowed after a video assistant referee review ruled that a foul had been committed against Lisandro Martinez.

Argentina began their fightback. In the 79th minute, Messi delivered a cross that Cristian Romero headed home, cutting the deficit to one.

[Reuters]
[Reuters]

Riding that momentum, Messi leveled the score at 2-2 just four minutes later in the 83rd minute, slotting home a loose ball in a goalmouth scramble with his right foot.

The equalizer allowed Messi to atone for his earlier penalty miss and rescue Argentina from the brink of elimination. It was his eighth goal of the tournament and the 21st of his World Cup career.

The winner came in the 93rd minute. Enzo Fernandez headed home a cross from Lautaro Martinez to complete the comeback.

Argentina preserved the win in the closing moments when Leandro Paredes made a crucial defensive intervention to repel Egypt's final attack.

[EPA]
[EPA]

Messi was moved to tears immediately after the final whistle. Scaloni, who rarely shows visible emotion during matches, was also fighting back tears afterward. "What can I say?" he said. "This is a great team and these are great players," before trailing off.

Argentina will face the winner of the Switzerland-Colombia match in the quarterfinals at Kansas City Stadium on Sunday at 10 a.m.


ygmoon@heraldcorp.com