Argentina pulled off a feat in the FIFA World Cup 2026 pre-quarterfinal that football fans will remember for a long time. At one point, the team was trailing 0-2 and on the verge of elimination, but in the final 14 minutes, a Lionel Messi-led Argentina staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2. With this thrilling victory, the defending champions secured a spot in the quarter-finals, where they will face either Colombia or Switzerland.
Egypt Dominates the First 67 Minutes
Egypt dominated the early stages of the match played at the Atlanta Stadium. Yasser Ibrahim gave the team the lead in the 15th minute with a header. Argentina had a golden opportunity to equalize, but captain Lionel Messi failed to convert a penalty in the first half, a 4th miss in his world cup career. Capitalizing on this, Egypt doubled their lead in the 67th minute; Mostafa Zico scored off a brilliant assist from Mohamed Salah, making it 2-0. At that moment, it seemed Argentina’s World Cup campaign was coming to an end.
The Story Changes in the Final 14 Minutes
Despite trailing by two goals, Argentina refused to give up. In the 79th minute, Cristian Romero kept the team’s hopes alive by scoring with a header from a superb cross by Messi. Just four minutes later, Messi himself leveled the score at 2-2 with a brilliant low shot. This equalizer completely shifted the momentum of the match. In stoppage time, Enzo Fernández scored the winning goal with a header off a precise cross from Lautaro Martínez. This 3-2 victory, achieved after trailing 0-2, propelled Argentina into the quarter-finals.
Messi Takes the Lead in the Golden Boot Race
By scoring against Egypt, Lionel Messi netted his eighth goal of the tournament. He has taken the lead in the race for the Golden Boot by scoring eight goals in five matches. Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland have seven goals each, while England’s Harry Kane trails them with six goals. All these players will have the opportunity to increase their goal tallies in the quarter-finals.
Another piece of World Cup history made
The goal against Egypt marked the 21st of Messi’s World Cup career. He has played 31 World Cup matches so far, and this is his sixth World Cup tournament. Additionally, he has now recorded nine World Cup assists. By providing the assist for Romero’s goal, Messi reached a total contribution of 30 goals (21 goals and 9 assists) in the World Cup. With this, he surpassed Diego Maradona’s record of eight World Cup assists.