By James Robson
The Associated Press
July 7, 2026 - 11:46 am
ATLANTA — Lionel Messi did it yet again astatine this year’s World Cup.
The Argentina large scored different extremity — his eighth of the tourney — and led his squad to an improbable 3-2 triumph implicit Egypt connected Tuesday contempt trailing by 2 with lone 11 minutes of regularisation clip to play.
The defending champions volition adjacent look either Switzerland oregon Colombia successful the quarterfinals connected Saturday successful Kansas City, Missouri.
Messi, who was successful tears aft the last whistle, scored his record-extending 21st extremity astatine the World Cup successful the 83rd infinitesimal to level the people astatine 2-2.
Enzo Fernandez scored the winning extremity successful stoppage clip to implicit 1 of the large World Cup comebacks. Cristian Romero started the rally successful the 79th minute.
“This is simply a phenomenal radical that ne'er gives up,” Fernandez said. “Four years person passed since Qatar, and we’ve travel to bask different World Cup — and we privation to triumph it again. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
Argentina had trailed 2-0 connected goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico.
Messi besides missed a accidental successful the archetypal fractional erstwhile his punishment footwear was saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. He aboriginal deed the station erstwhile the people was 1-0.
Argentina is bidding to go the archetypal squad to triumph back-to-back titles since Brazil did truthful successful 1958 and 1962.
“I’m truthful emotional,” Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said. “What a radical of players, brother.”
For overmuch of the game, it looked similar it would beryllium a achy exit for the 39-year-old Messi successful what mightiness beryllium the past of his six World Cups.
Egypt took a astonishing pb successful the 15th infinitesimal erstwhile Ibrahim got up of Lisandro Martinez to conscionable Marwan Attia’s transverse and caput the shot into the bottommost corner.
Argentina was rapidly fixed the accidental to level the lucifer erstwhile Haissem Hassan tripped Nicolas Tagliafico successful the container moments later. Referee François Letexier pointed to the punishment spot and Messi stepped up with an expectant assemblage waiting for him to score.
Shobeir had different ideas, diving to his near to artifact the changeable for Messi’s 2nd punishment miss of the tourney aft besides failing from the spot against Austria successful the radical stage.
Despite being the all-time starring scorer astatine World Cups, Messi has present missed 4 of 8 punishment kicks astatine the tournament.
After Messi deed the station aboriginal successful the half, Shobeir pulled disconnected different large prevention to halt Julian Alvarez from adjacent range.
Egypt thought it had doubled its pb successful the 2nd fractional erstwhile Mostafa Zico finished disconnected a sweeping attack. But the chaotic celebrations were chopped abbreviated erstwhile a foul earlier successful the determination was confirmed connected video reappraisal and the extremity was disallowed.
That 2nd extremity for Egypt did travel successful the 67th from a akin break, and this clip Zico’s effort counted. It conscionable wasn’t enough.
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