2026 World Cup: Stunning Argentina, Egypt on the verge of an upset

A nightmare start for the Albiceleste

The scenario, however, seemed to foreshadow disappointment for Lionel Scaloni and his men. As early as the 15th minute, Yasser Ibrahim got ahead of Lisandro Martinez on a cross from Marwan Attia to open the scoring with a header that goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was unable to keep out. Argentina quickly had the chance to equalize with a penalty awarded by French referee François Letexier after a foul by Haissem Hassan on Nicolas Tagliafico. But Lionel Messi, who had already missed one earlier against Austria in the first round, failed again. The Egyptian keeper Mostafa Shobeir punched away his attempt, then immediately denied two follow-up efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez.

In the second half, Egypt confirmed their mastery of transition play. A goal by Mostafa Ziko was initially ruled out by VAR for a foul earlier in the move, before the striker finally found the net in the 67th minute after a move initiated by Mohamed Salah and relayed by Haissem Hassan. Trailing 2-0, Argentina was then on the brink of elimination.

A decisive final quarter of an hour

Argentina's reaction came from a header by Cristian Romero, finishing off a Messi cross in the 79th minute. Four minutes later, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner himself equalized with a powerful shot from inside the penalty area. Egypt, destabilized, tried to hold out until the very end, but Lautaro Martinez took advantage of space left behind the defense to set up Enzo Fernandez, who scored the winning goal with a decisive header in the 90+2 minute.

A regretful elimination for the Pharaohs

Egypt therefore leaves the competition with honor, after dominating a large part of the match against the defending champions. The statistics from the opening hour, marked by two Egyptian goals and a missed Argentine penalty, illustrate the scale of the Egyptian side's performance, as their campaign ends just short of the quarter-finals.

Argentina, meanwhile, continues its journey after already being given a scare by Cape Verde in the previous round. Messi and his teammates will face the winner of the Switzerland-Colombia clash in the quarter-finals, with the obligation to raise their level of play if they hope to retain their world crown.