Argentina Egypt World Cup produced a dramatic turnaround as Lionel Messi assisted and scored to give Argentina a 3:2 round of 16 victory, FIFA reported.
The match in the round of 16 looked to be heading one way early. Egypt opened the scoring in the 15th minute when center back Yasser Ibrahim met a cross and headed past Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez to give Egypt a shock lead, according to the FIFA match report.
Argentina had a chance to equalize in the 20th minute when Messi took a penalty, but Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir made a strong save to keep Argentina down 1:0 at halftime, FIFA said.
In the second half, Egypt extended the lead in the 67th minute on a fast counterattack finished by forward Mostafa Zico after Mohamed Salah initiated the break, putting Argentina on the brink of elimination, the match report showed.
Facing a two goal deficit, Argentina reshaped its attack with Messi drifting from the center to the right, increasing pressure in the final third. The tactical change paid off and Argentina produced a furious comeback, scoring three times in a 13 minute span to turn the match around, FIFA’s summary said.
At the 79th minute Cristian Romero rose to meet a precise cross from Messi and headed home, with goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir getting a hand on the ball but unable to keep it out, trimming the deficit to 2:1.
Four minutes later, Egypt failed to clear a defensive set piece and Messi charged into the box from the right to fire a low shot that clipped the underside of the crossbar and crossed the line, leveling the score at 2:2. Messi, age 39, now has eight goals in this tournament and 21 total World Cup goals, FIFA data showed.
Argentina continued to press in stoppage time. In the 92nd minute, Enzo Fernández met a cross from Lautaro Martínez and outjumped Yasser Ibrahim to head a late winner, sealing a 3:2 victory that eliminated Egypt and sent Argentina into the quarterfinals, match officials confirmed.
After the final whistle Messi, his eyes rimmed with tears, knelt on the turf and covered his face. In a postgame interview he said, “When I missed the penalty I felt overwhelming guilt, like I almost ruined four years of work. But this team lifted me up. At 0:2 we told each other it was not over, and we showed unbelievable resilience. This victory belongs to every Argentine who fought until the last moment.” The quote was given to reporters in the mixed zone, according to the broadcaster on site.
In other round of 16 action the match between Switzerland and Colombia finished scoreless after 120 minutes, and Switzerland edged Colombia 4:3 on penalties to reach the quarterfinals, FIFA reported. Switzerland will face Argentina in the next round.
Switzerland’s disciplined defense and tactical organization present a significant challenge for Argentina, whose back line showed signs of fatigue following a heavy workload in the previous match against Cape Verde, according to team coaches and analysts speaking after the game.
With form peaking and Messi leading the tournament scoring chart, Argentina’s next match against Switzerland will attract intense attention from fans and pundits around the world, FIFA said.