Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 to reach World Cup quarter-finals

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Lionel Messi led a stunning late fightback as Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, the reigning champions recovering from a two-goal deficit to escape a monumental upset.

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Egypt looked poised to score a famous victory at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium after goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico left them 2-0 up with just 11 minutes of normal time remaining.

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But Cristian Romero’s 79th-minute header from a pinpoint Messi cross gave the defending champions a lifeline at 2-1.

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Four minutes later, Messi volleyed in a superb equaliser — his eighth goal of the tournament — to make it 2-2 and spark wild celebrations among the huge contingent of Argentina fans in the 68,239 crowd.

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With extra-time looming, Enzo Fernandez then nodded in a sensational winner in the second minute of time added on to finally break Egypt’s resistance.

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Fernandez’s goal capped what had been an epic contest, which saw Messi miss a first-half penalty for the second time this tournament, and Egypt have a second-half goal ruled out in a controversial VAR decision.

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Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni was unable to hide his emotions after the match.

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“I can’t look up, I’m sorry. I’m really emotional right now,” Scaloni said. “What a group of players, man. That’s it, I’ve got to go.”

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The win was another nailbiting close shave for Argentina, who had been taken to the wire by Cape Verde in an extra-time thriller in the last 32 on Friday.

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Colombia, Swiss eye quarters

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Argentina will now face the winner of Tuesday’s clash in Vancouver between Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals.

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Colombia, supported by hordes of passionate yellow-clad fans, have been tipped as dark horses for the tournament.

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Nestor Lorenzo’s men have conceded just one goal so far and boast the attacking prowess of Luis Diaz and 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez.

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Switzerland have not reached the quarter-finals since 1954, when they hosted the tournament, but impressed in a 2-0 win against Algeria in the last 32.

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Argentina are the latest team into the quarter-finals after Spain and Belgium booked their tickets to the last eight on Monday.

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Spain ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup dream by beating Portugal 1-0 while Belgium crushed the United States 4-1.

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Defeat for Mauricio Pochettino’s men means none of the host nations remain in the 2026 tournament following the earlier exits of Canada and Mexico.

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The build-up to the game in Seattle was overshadowed by controversy after forward Folarin Balogun was cleared to play despite being sent off against Bosnia and Herzegovina last week.

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It emerged that the bombshell ruling followed a personal call by President Donald Trump to FIFA chief Gianni Infantino urging him to review Balogun’s punishment.

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Javier Tebas, the president of the Spanish football federation, on Tuesday attacked the reprieve.

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Posting on social media, Tebas called the decision “the tip of the iceberg of a governance model that has been eroding the credibility of FIFA and football in general for many years.”

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He said that while the football world could see what was happening “far too many prefer to maintain a complicit silence.”

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The United States Soccer Federation meanwhile indicated that US coach Pochettino might stay on as the team’s boss, saying in a statement on Tuesday that discussions with the Argentine were ongoing.

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“We had positive conversations with Mauricio before the World Cup about the future,” US Soccer said in a statement. “We agreed we would continue those conversations following a chance to rest and reflect post World Cup.

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AFP

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