Argentina survived another close call to advance. Four days after needing extra time to beat Cape Verde, the defending champions trailed Egypt by two goals. Lionel Messi had missed a penalty, and the team’s tournament hopes again appeared in doubt.
Cristian Romero scored with a header to shift momentum. Messi then found the net, and Enzo Fernandez headed in during stoppage time to complete a 3-2 victory in Atlanta. The result sent Argentina into the quarter-finals.
Messi created most of the team’s attacking chances despite the missed penalty and one shot that struck the post. Questions remain about Argentina’s creativity when he is not directly involved.
Egypt played with discipline and threatened on the counter. They took the lead through Yasser Ibrahim’s header and extended it to 2-0 after a VAR review disallowed an earlier goal for a foul. Mohamed Salah helped set up the second score.
Argentina responded when Romero met a cross from Messi. The captain later scored himself. Fernandez finished the turnaround with a header from a pass by substitute Lautaro Martinez.
The match marked the second consecutive knockout game in which Argentina trailed before recovering. Observers noted both the team’s resilience and its reliance on key individuals.
