Enzo Fernandezs 93rd-minute header completed a remarkable Argentina comeback as the holders recovered from being 2-0 behind with 12 minutes of regular time remaining to beat Egypt in Atlanta and advance to a World Cup 2026 quarter-final against Switzerland or Colombia. Yasser Ibrahims 15th-minute header gave the underdogs a lead they preserved when goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir saved Lionel Messis penalty shortly afterwards. Mostafa Ziko had a second-half strike ruled out before slotting in from Mohamed Salahs pass in the 67th minute to put the Pharaohs firmly on course for a colossal upset, but Cristian Romero halved the deficit by powering in from Messis cross in the 79th minute.Within five minutes, Messi had fired in to equalise and give Lionel Scalonis side a momentum they capitalised upon when Fernandez met Lautaro Martinezs delivery, sealing his sides spot in the last eight after an almighty scare.Die Nati and Los Cafeteros or Colombia meet in Vancouver on Wednesday (21:00 BST) for the right to face Argentina in Kansas City on Sunday (02:00).Table of ContentsWorld Cup 2026: Argentina edge past EgyptArgentina vs Egypt analysis: World Cup tears for MessiWorld Cup 2026: Argentina team vs EgyptWorld Cup 2026: Egypt team vs ArgentinaWorld Cup 2026: Argentina vs Egypt statsWorld Cup 2026: Argentina edge past EgyptEgypt had never won a World Cup match before this edition but seemed certain to earn their third victory since the group stage, with Manchester United centre-back Lisandro Martinez culpable for both goals Argentina conceded.Tournament top scorer Messi has failed to score from four of the eight World Cup penalties he has taken, Shoubir diving to his left to push the eight-time Ballon dOr winners effort away before making superb saves from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez during the first half.Zikos slick goal seemed to have sealed a sensational result for the most successful side in Africa, only for Argentina to emphatically show why they are the reinging champions, throwing Messi aloft as a squad after the full-time whistle brought an end to another astonishingly dramatic tie at these finals. Argentina vs Egypt analysis: World Cup tears for MessiFormer Ireland captain Roy Keane compared Messis fortunes with generational rival Cristiano Ronaldo, whose Portugal side were eliminated the previous day.Yesterday we saw sad tears from Cristiano Ronaldo, and today we saw happy tears from Lionel Messi, Keane told ITV, adding that he loved the thriller.This is why we love the game absolutely amazing. Wow my voice is gone.World Cup 2026: Argentina team vs EgyptArgentina made three changes from their last-32 win over Cape Verde as Facundo Medina, Thiago Almada and Martinez were replaced by Nicolas Tagliafico, Leandro Paredes and Alvarez.Argentina starting XI: Emiliano Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico, Lisandro Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nahuel Molina, Leandro Paredes, Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez, Julian Alvarez, Lionel MessiArgentina substitutes: Juan Musso, Geronimo Rulli, Marcos Senesi, Gonzalo Montiel, Nicolas Otamendi, Facundo Medina, Valentin Barco, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Nico Gonzalez, Thiago Almada, Giuliano Simeone, Nico Paz, Jose Manuel Lopez, Lautaro MartinezWorld Cup 2026: Egypt team vs ArgentinaEgypt made two alterations from their win over Australia, in which Salah had been a doubt because of a hamstring issue but played throughout and converted a penalty.Mohanad Lashin and Haissem Hassan supplanted Hamdy Fathy and Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush.Egypt starting XI: Mostafa Shoubir, Yasser Ibrahim, Mohamed Hany, Ramy Rabia, Karim Hafez, Emam Ashour, Mostafa Zico, Mohanad Lashin, Marawan Attia, Mohamed Salah, Haissem HassanEgypt substitutes: Mohamed Elshenawy, Mahdy Soliman, Mohamed Alaa, Hossam Abdelmaguid, Tarek Alaa, Hamdy Fathy, Nabil Donga, Mahmoud Saber, Trezeguet, Hamza Abdelkarim, Ibrahim Adel, Omar Marmoush, ZizoWorld Cup 2026: Argentina vs Egypt statsThis was the first World Cup meeting between the countries, whose most recent previous meeting had been in a friendly in Cairo in 2008Argentina won that match 2-0 through goals from Sergio Aguero and Nicolas Burdisso, with Messi absent because of injuryMessi has scored in each of his last nine World Cup appearances for Argentina, extending his own tournament recordThe 39-year-old has 13 goals in total across that run (5 in the last 4 matches in Qatar 2022, 8 in five in 2026)The Argentina captain became the first player to score at least seven goals at two World Cup tournaments, although Kylian Mbappe replicated that feat by converting Frances penalty winner against Paraguay in the last 16 on SaturdayFrances Mbappe and Norways Erling Haaland each have seven goals at this edition, with Englands Harry Kane on sixSince the start of Qatar 2022, Argentina have been awarded eight penalties in 12 World Cup matchesEgypt have scored (9) and conceded (10) in each of their last seven World Cup gamesThey failed to become the fifth African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals after Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002), Ghana (2010) and Morocco (2022 and 2026) Topics 2026 FIFA World Cup Alexis Mac Allister Argentina National Football Team Cristian Romero Egypt national football team Emiliano Martinez Enzo Fernandez FIFA World Cup Julian Alvarez Lionel Messi Mohamed Salah Rodrigo de Paul World Cup World Cup 2026 Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read LIVE Argentina v Egypt: World Cup 2026 commentary, updates, goals and stats as Messi makes scoreline 2-2 in thriller Jon Fisher 7th July, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Lionel Messi suffers incredible penalty miss for Argentina vs Egypt after Ibrahim goal opens scoring Ben Miller 7th July, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Lionel Messi captains Argentina vs Egypt as teams and full line ups are confirmed, TV channel, live online stream and stats Ben Miller 7th July, 2026 Folarin Balogun reacts to USA vs Belgium and Donald Trump World Cup furore: I can only be honest Ben Miller 7th July, 2026 Lionel Messi: World Cup 2026 playing schedule, fixtures, kick off times, where to watch, confirmed news updates and full Argentina squad Ben Miller 7th July, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full fixtures, dates, games, schedule and results from FIFA football finals Ben Miller 7th July, 2026
