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FIFA World Cup, Argentina stun Egypt 3-2 in R16: Stats
08 Jul 2026

Argentina football team staged a stunning comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

The match, played at Atlanta Stadium, was a rollercoaster ride with both teams showing their mettle.

It was a sensational comeback for Messi & Co. who will now take on Colombia or Switzerland in the last eight at Kansas City.

Egypt take 2-goal lead before Romero halves deficit
Match highlights

Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring for Egypt with a header in the 15th minute, leaving Argentina scrambling for an equalizer.

Argentina's captain Lionel Messi missed a penalty in the first half, leaving them trailing.

Egypt took advantage of this and doubled their lead in the 67th minute through Mostafa Ziko, who scored from a Mohamed Salah assist.

The goal left Argentina on the brink of elimination from the tournament.

However, Cristian Romero brought hope back to Argentina with a header from Messi's cross in the 79th minute.

Argentina stage a comeback
Comeback

Just four minutes after Romero's goal, Messi leveled the match with a low finish into the bottom corner.

The equalizer shifted the momentum in Argentina's favor.

In stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez headed home from Lautaro Martinez's cross to complete a remarkable comeback for Argentina.

The victory ensured Argentina's place in the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Messi races to 8 goals in this year's World Cup
2026 WC

Messi scored his eighth goal of this year's World Cup on Tuesday against Egypt.

He has 8 goals from 5 matches and leads both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, who are on 7 goals each.

England's Harry Kane is next with six goals.

All four players will have another shot now in the quarters as the race for Golden Boot award heats up.

Messi gets to 21 World Cup goals and nine assists
21

The 21st career goal for Messi at the World Cup came in the 83rd minute off an assist from Gonzalo Montiel.

Messi has played 31 World Cup games. It's Messi's sixth World Cup, having made his debut in 2006.

Besides his 21 goals, Messi has 9 World Cup assists. He assisted Romero's goal.

He is now involved in 30 World Cup goals. His nine World Cup assists saw him move ahead of Diego Maradon's record of 8.

Messi only behind Gerd Muller in terms of this record
Fact

As mentioned, Messi has scored eight goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. As per Opta, it's the most by a player through a team's opening five games of a single edition since Germany's Gerd Muller in 1970 (10).

Messi nets in his 9th successive World Cup match
Fact

Messi has now managed to score in a record nine consecutive World Cup matches dating back to Argentina's title run in 2022. Messi's goal against Egypt marked his 13th in this nine-game span, as per AP.

Messi races to 125 international goals for Argentina
Fact

Messi made his 204th international appearance in Argentine colors. He has raced to 125 goals. Meanwhile, the legend has also made 62 assists.

Messi shines with these feats
Feats

As per Opta, the last two players to score, complete 5+ dribbles, and create 5+ open play chances in a World Cup match is Messi v Egypt (2026) and Diego Maradona vs Belgium (1986).

Messi has the joint-most goals by an Argentine (8) in a single edition of the tournament. He equaled Guillermo Stabile's record from 1930.

Contrasting records for Messi
Fact

Messi is the first player in World Cup history to miss two penalties at a single edition (excluding shootouts). Meanwhile, Messi is the first player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive knockout stage matches.

Massive records for Argentina
Records

As per Squawka, Argentina are the first side in World Cup history to beat three African nations in a single edition, overcoming Algeria, Cape Verde and Egypt.

Argentina were trailing in the 78th minute, the latest any team has ever been 2+ goals down in a World Cup game and come back to win without going to extra time (3-2).

Here are the match stats
Fact

Argentina had 19 attempts and managed 7 shots on target. Egypt had 2 shots on target from 5 attempts. Argentina created 5 big chances compared to Egypt's two. Argentina outshone Egypt in terms of touches in the opposition box (34-8). Argentina also had 63.7% ball possession.