Argentina 3-2 Egypt: Enzo Fernandez scores 3,000th World Cup goal as defending champions progress

For a 2nd lucifer successful succession, Argentina and Lionel Messi survived yet different scare astatine the 2026 FIFA World Cup successful North America, arsenic they overturned a two-goal shortage to bushed Egypt 3-2 astatine Atlanta Stadium and publication their spot successful the quarter-finals.

The satellite champions came into the crippled arsenic dense favourites, but it was Egypt who took the crippled to them from the archetypal whistle, and who near feeling the tourney owed them thing alternatively much than an aboriginal exit.

Still breathing borrowed air

It was not truthful agelong agone that Argentina needed an ain extremity successful the 111th infinitesimal to past Cape Verde successful the circular of 32 - the lowest-ranked broadside to scope the knockout stage, pushing the world's top-ranked federation to the precise borderline of elimination.

Four days later, the signifier repeated itself successful Georgia.

Egypt led 2-0 with conscionable implicit 11 minutes of mean clip remaining and looked acceptable to nutrient 1 of the large World Cup upsets. Argentina needed 3 goals successful the last 4th of an hr to survive, and someway recovered them.

Cristian Romero bundled successful from Messi's transverse successful the 79th minute, Messi himself rifled location a first-time onslaught successful the 83rd, and Enzo Fernandez struck a 93rd-minute victor from a Lautaro Martinez assistance to seal a comeback that, connected the equilibrium of play, Egypt did not merit to lose.

Messi's punishment woes continue

The lucifer turned connected 1 pivotal infinitesimal successful the archetypal half, and it did not autumn Egypt's way.

After Yasser Ibrahim silenced Argentina's immense enactment with a almighty 15th-minute header from Marwan Attia's transportation connected the right, Nicolas Tagliafico was fouled successful the Egyptian area, and the signifier was acceptable for Messi to reconstruct parity.

What followed was thing but routine. Messi struck his effort to the near of goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who anticipated correctly and produced a prevention that, successful truth, was acold from difficult.

The miss was Messi's 4th from the punishment spot successful World Cup history, excluding shootouts - much than immoderate different subordinate ever. More significantly, it made him the archetypal subordinate successful the past of the men's World Cup to miss 2 penalties successful the aforesaid variation of the tournament, having besides dragged wide against Austria successful the radical stage.

Former Scotland striker Ally McCoist, connected commentary work for ITV, captured the wide disbelief well. "I can't judge I'm saying that of 1 of the top players connected earth," helium said. "It is the archetypal clip I person ever seen him erstwhile I americium not definite helium believed himself."

Shobeir did not halt there. He produced a point-blank prevention to contradict Alexis Mac Allister from a header earlier fractional time, past flung himself to his near to support retired Julian Alvarez's effort to person a cross, each with Egypt holding their unexpected lead.

Argentina finished the archetypal fractional with an xG of 1.51 against Egypt's 0.21, Egypt's lone interaction successful the attacking 3rd successful that play being the 1 they scored from.

VAR takes centre stage

Whatever Egypt's goalkeeping heroics could not provide, VAR stepped successful to deliver.

Around the hr mark, Mostafa Zico converted what appeared to beryllium a magnificent breakaway extremity that would person enactment Egypt 2-0 ahead. The celebrations successful the Egyptian extremity were brief.

French referee Francois Letexier was sent to the video show aft the VAR flagged a foul by Marwan Attia connected Lisandro Martinez successful the buildup to the determination - an incidental that occurred portion Argentina were connected the attack, astatine the other extremity of the pitch.

The determination divided sentiment successful the stadium and among pundits. FOX Sports expert Rob Green was unambiguous successful his dissent. "Surely, this is not wrong VAR's realm to reappraisal this," helium said unrecorded connected the broadcast. "It is simply a afloat magnitude of the transportation away."

The Mirror's Henry Winter was likewise sceptical astir the proportionality of the call. "If VAR had gone immoderate further backmost successful that Egyptian move, Tutankhamun would beryllium involved," helium wrote connected X.

ESPN officiating adept and erstwhile Select Group referee Andy Davies explained the rationale: Marwan Attia had simultaneously held Martinez's garment and stood connected his foot, and the French referee, erstwhile shown the images, agreed the foul had straight initiated Egypt's attacking phase.

Egypt were not finished, Zico did get his extremity successful the 67th minute, sweeping location a 2nd from a Haissem Hassan assistance connected the right, and they held their 2-0 pb into the last 11 minutes. That was arsenic adjacent arsenic they got.

A recurring nightmare for Africa

Egypt's illness volition beryllium achy not lone for the Pharaohs but for African shot much broadly, coming hardly a week aft the continent suffered a strikingly akin heartbreak.

In the circular of 32, Senegal led Belgium 2-0 successful the 86th infinitesimal - Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr having fixed the Lions of Teranga what looked similar a commanding pb astatine Seattle Stadium. Belgium scored doubly successful the abstraction of 3 minutes to unit other time, earlier Youri Tielemans converted a 125th-minute punishment to destruct Senegal 3-2.

Today, Egypt led 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining. Three goals successful 16 minutes ended their tournament.

Two African nations, 2 2-0 leads - some surrendered successful the closing stages. Egypt and Senegal each spent the bulk of their knockout matches successful the presumption to inflict a large upset connected a accepted power, and each was incapable to adjacent the occupation out.

The statistical discourse adds different furniture of frustration: per 101greatgoals.com, Egypt person present scored and conceded successful each of their past 7 World Cup matches. Their goalkeeper Shobeir, 26, produced arguably 1 of the finest first-half displays of the tournament.

It was not capable to clasp a backmost enactment that conceded 3 times successful the last 4th of an hour.

The Verdict

Argentina are done to the quarter-finals, wherever they look the victor of Colombia against Switzerland, with the imaginable of England oregon Norway successful the semi-finals beyond that.

They person not looked similar satellite champions successful this knockout campaign. Against Cape Verde, they needed 111 minutes and an ain extremity to survive, against Egypt, they needed 3 goals successful the closing stages against a broadside ranked acold beneath them.

Messi's redemptive 83rd-minute onslaught volition beryllium the representation astir associated with this nighttime - a effect worthy of his estimation aft the punishment miss, and a reminder of wherefore Argentina's tourney inactive runs done him.

Enzo Fernandez's winner, however, wrote its ain footnote. In scoring Argentina's 3rd extremity successful the 2nd infinitesimal of wounded time, helium became the writer of the 3,000th extremity successful World Cup history.

Argentina survive, the questions astir their invincibility bash not.