Lionel Messi Inspires Argentina to Dramatic World Cup Win Against Egypt

Argentina looked to be heading out of the FIFA World Cup before Lionel Messi stepped up with a goal and an assist to lead a stunning comeback against Egypt. After trailing by two goals, Argentina fought back to claim a dramatic 3-2 victory and book their place in the quarter-finals.

The match began cautiously, but Egypt took the lead with their first attempt on goal. Yasser Ibrahim rose highest to head home from a well-planned corner in the 15th minute, giving the Pharaohs a surprise advantage.

Argentina then kept pushing forward and continued to create chances. Alexis Mac Allister came close to equalising, but his header from inside the box was brilliantly saved by the in-form Mostafa Shobeir.

Messi almost made up for his missed penalty with a well-hit free-kick, but the ball struck the post before going out.

Argentina stayed on the attack after the second half began and controlled most of the play. Egypt nearly caught them on the break, but Mohamed Salah was pulled back for a soft foul just as he looked ready to race through on goal.

Argentina failed to deal with Egypt's threat on the counter. Salah then produced a brilliant outside-of-the-boot pass to send Mostafa Ziko through on goal, and Egypt looked set to score again. However, a VAR review spotted a foul earlier in the move, and the goal was ruled out, giving Argentina a huge let-off.

Argentina failed to learn from the earlier warning, and Egypt eventually scored their second goal with a move that closely resembled the one that had been ruled out.

After creating chance after chance, Argentina pulled one back in the 79th minute. Cristian Romero met Messi's excellent cross with a powerful finish to cut the deficit and set up an exciting ending.

With time running out, Messi then came up with a stunning strike. He fired a powerful shot from outside the box that Mostafa Shobeir could not stop, scoring in his ninth straight World Cup appearance.

Neither side looked willing to wait for extra time, making the closing minutes wide open. Deep into stoppage time, Egypt appealed for a penalty but did not get the decision. Moments later, Lautaro Martínez broke into plenty of space and delivered a cross for Enzo Fernández, who headed home the dramatic winning goal. As a result, Argentina registered a dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt and secured a confirmed spot in the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2026.