Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to a 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in their FIFA World Cup round of 16 match on Tuesday to secure a place in the quarter-finals after recovering from a two-goal deficit.
Egypt made a bright start to the contest as Youssef Ibrahim put the North Africans ahead in the 15th minute after receiving a pass from Mohamed Attia.
Argentina had the opportunity to restore parity six minutes later after winning a penalty, but Mohamed Shobeir denied Messi from the spot to keep Egypt in front.
Argentina controlled much of the possession before the break but failed to find a way through Egypt’s defence as they went into half-time trailing 1-0.
Egypt believed they had doubled their advantage in the 58th minute, but the goal was disallowed following a VAR review.
However, the African team extended their advantage in the 67th minute when Mohamed Zakaria Abdelraouf finished after Hassan Hassan created the opportunity.
Cristian Romero reduced the deficit for Argentina in the 79th minute by heading home from Messi’s delivery to revive his side’s hopes.
Messi levelled the score at 2-2 four minutes later with a composed finish after Gonzalo Montiel set him up, making amends for his earlier penalty miss.
Enzo Fernández completed the comeback in the 92nd minute by converting Lautaro Martínez’s assist to hand Argentina the lead for the first time in the match.
Mohamed Shobeir and Hamdy Fathy were both cautioned during a tense closing period before Argentina held on to seal victory.
The result sent Argentina into the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals, while Egypt exited the competition after their round of 16 campaign ended.
