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Egypt were left frustrated after their sensational second goal against Argentina was overturned by VAR during their gripping World Cup 2026 round-of-16 encounter.

The underdogs from Africa had already taken a surprise 1-0 lead through Yasser Ibrahim’s header in the first half, before the reigning world champions were further stunned when Lionel Messi’s penalty was saved shortly after.

Moments later, it looked as though Egypt had doubled their advantage on 58 minutes when they scored a stunning second goal, seemingly putting Argentina in deep trouble.

Egypt counterattacked at lightning pace, as Haissem Hassan surged forward from near his own penalty area and passed to Mohamed Salah, who then slipped an exquisite through ball into the path of Mostafa Ziko.

The 29-year-old striker—who adopted the nickname ‘Ziko’ after the legendary Brazilian footballer admired by his father—raced ahead of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and fired the ball into the net.

However, the celebrations were short-lived as the referee was called over to the pitchside monitor by the VAR team to review a possible foul earlier in the move.

Replays revealed that Marwan Attia had pulled back Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez and also stepped on his foot during the build-up, leading the referee to disallow the goal.

Despite the setback, Egypt did eventually go 2-0 up on 68 minutes, with Ziko again finding the back of the net—this time the goal stood. Salah drove forward and attempted a pass that deflected into Hassan’s path, allowing the Oviedo winger to beat his marker and cut the ball back for Ziko to finish emphatically.

That goal appeared to be steering Egypt towards their first-ever World Cup quarter-final appearance, but Argentina showed their champion mentality to stage a remarkable comeback.

First, Cristian Romero powered home a close-range header in the 79th minute to halve the deficit. Just four minutes later, Messi redeemed his earlier miss by latching onto a knockdown from Martinez and smashing the ball off the bar and in, past goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

The closing stages were electric, with both teams pushing desperately for a winner and a place in the last eight, where either Colombia or Switzerland awaited. In stoppage time, Argentina completed the turnaround as Lautaro Martinez delivered a superb cross to the far post, which Enzo Fernandez headed across goal and into the corner.

Egypt’s players and bench reacted angrily, claiming there had been a foul in the build-up at the other end of the pitch, but the goal stood after a VAR check, and Argentina held firm to secure a dramatic victory.