Argentina avoids early exit against Egypt and advances to the quarterfinals

Shortly before halftime, the Argentines nearly added to their tally, but Shobeir also made brilliant saves against Alexis Mac Allister (28th) and Julián Álvarez (39th). The teams headed into the dressing rooms with Egypt holding a narrow 1:0 lead.

After the restart, Mostafa Ziko made it 2:0 (67th) after an assist from Hassan and a pass from Mohamed Salah. Salah, five years Messi's junior, was one of the most prominent performers on the Egyptian side on the evening. However, Ziko's strike in the 58th minute, following an earlier whistle against Marwan Ateya on Martínez after VAR intervention, was ruled out – meaning Egypt stood on the pitch with what looked like an extended lead for only a few minutes.

Heated referee controversy and red card

The second goal gave the North Africans confidence. At first, however, Rodríguez de Paul caused a stir when he fouled an Egyptian attacker in his own penalty area. The VAR did not intervene, even though the situation was at least worth reviewing.

As Deutschlandfunk reported, the match became increasingly heated. "The African bench was so beside itself that there was even a red card for one of the staff members," the report stated. This changed nothing about the referee's decision or the outcome of the game.

The turning point was initiated by Cristiano Romero. In the 79th minute, the center-back headed home to halve the deficit. Just five minutes later, Messi – who had earlier struck a free kick from around 25 meters against the post, among other efforts – leveled it at 2:2. The arena in Atlanta trembled.

Dramatic finale in stoppage time

Just as everyone was bracing for extra time, Enzo Fernández's moment arrived. In the 90th+2 minute, he exploited the first real disorder in the Egyptian defense following an unpunished foul in midfield to launch a counterattack and scored the controversial but ultimately decisive 3:2. "The reason for that was the decisive goal by Enzo Fernández, which was at least controversial," the broadcaster summarized.

In stoppage time, the Egyptians threw everything forward once more, but the Argentine defense, marshaled by Martínez, ultimately held firm. Egypt thus missed out on reaching a World Cup quarterfinal for the first time in the nation's history and must head home.

Argentina will now face the winner of the final round-of-16 match between Switzerland and Colombia in the quarterfinals, which will be determined later on the day of this game. The Swiss won the tournament's final round-of-16 match, meaning Argentina will play Switzerland. The next test is set for the four-time world champion – the team continues to chase an overall fourth title.

Egypt's former national team player Mohamed Zidan, a former Bundesliga professional with 41 caps, had appealed to his homeland's discipline before the match on MagentaTV: "We have to dream. Sometimes dreams come true. We must not commit fouls in front of the penalty area." The team had at times implemented exactly what Zidan had demanded.

Waiting on the quarterfinal opponent

Also notable is the burden the Egyptians carried in the tournament: they had already gone the full 120 minutes against Cape Verde in the previous round. While this should not serve as an official excuse, it helps explain why the North Africans ultimately lacked the legs for the decisive final minutes.

Looking ahead to the next match, it remains to be seen how Argentina recovers from the physical strain of this thriller. However, the team around Messi should be able to carry the momentum of this furious comeback forward.

A look at the refereeing decisions

One thing is certain: the FIFA officials led by François Letexier will have to carefully review their match report. Two controversial VAR situations – the unpunished action by Alexis Mac Allister against Xaver Schlager before Argentina's opening goal against Austria, and Rodrigo De Paul's foul in his own penalty area against Egypt – will provide talking points throughout the tournament. Thanks also to the sporting performance, however, one thing is certain: Argentina has reached the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup.