Egypt, playing without the fear expected of a heavy underdog,shocked the reigning champions early.Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring in the 15th minute, and the Pharaohs doubled their lead when Mostafa Ziko struck in the second half, a goal that stood after a VAR review that briefly threatened to overshadow the match.It marked,the first time all tournament that Lionel Scaloni's side had trailed.
Argentina had chances to respond sooner.Lionel Messi was handed a golden opportunity from the penalty spot in the 21st minute but saw his effort saved — his second missed World Cup penalty in as many attempts, and the fourth of his career.Julián Álvarez also came agonizingly close, his shot deflected just wide by Egyptian goalkeeper Moustafa Shoubir.
Then,in a frantic final quarter of an hour, everything changed.Messi finally beat Shoubir to pull one back,his eighth goal of the tournament —the most of any player in the 2026 World Cup —and a record eighth straight World Cup match with a goal,stretching back to the 2022 title run in Qatar.
Argentina's equalizer followed soon after, and the winner arrived deep into stoppage time:after Mohamed Salah lost possession near midfield,Argentina broke quickly and Enzo Fernández rose to head home the decisive goal in the 93rd minute,sending the Argentine bench into disbelief.Scaloni was seen covering his face, with his hands as the celebrations began.
The finish capped a chaotic closing stretch that included multiple cautions, among them a red card shown to a member of Egypt's coaching staff.Egypt, appearing in the knockout rounds after edging Australia on penalties, exits the tournament having pushed the two-time defending champions,to the last. Argentina will now face the winner of Switzerland-Colombia in the quarterfinals in Kansas City,continuing its bid to become the first team to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1962.
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