In the Round of 16 at the 2026 World Cup played in Atlanta, Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2 after coming back from a two-goal deficit. The result qualifies the South American side for the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of Switzerland vs Colombia, and eliminates Egypt from the tournament. The first half opens with Egypt taking the lead: in the 15th minute Ibrahim scores with a header from an Attia cross, beating goalkeeper Martinez. In the 19th minute the referee awards Argentina a penalty for a foul by Haissem Hassan on Tagliafico. Messi steps up to take it, but Egyptian goalkeeper Shobeir saves. During the first half Shobeir proves decisive on several occasions, denying a header from Mac Allister and a volley from Alvarez. Messi also hits the outside of the post with a long-range free kick. In the second half Egypt doubles their lead through Zico in the 22nd minute, assisted by Haissem Hassan following a counter-attack by Salah. Previously, a Zico goal had been disallowed by VAR for a foul at the start of the move by Ateya. Argentina remains two goals behind until the 79th minute, when Romero pulls one back with a header from a Messi assist. Four minutes later, in the 83rd minute, Messi scores the equalizer, beating Shobeir. In stoppage time, in the 92nd minute, Enzo Fernandez heads in the decisive 3-2 goal from a Lautaro Martinez cross. At the end of the match Messi appears visibly emotional. According to reported data, Messi has reached 21 career goals in World Cups and would have set the record for two penalties missed in a single edition of the tournament. Egyptian goalkeeper Shobeir was among the protagonists of the match with several decisive saves. Egypt, who have never reached a World Cup quarterfinal, are eliminated despite having built a two-goal lead. Enzo Fernandez stated after the match: "Incredible to be able to relive a moment like this after Qatar 2022. We have a phenomenal group, you can see it even in difficulties. Thanks to my teammates and our fans. We are here to enjoy another World Cup. We have taken another step forward." In another Round of 16 match, England beat Mexico at the Azteca stadium playing with ten men, with a brace from Bellingham. According to reports, England head coach Tuchel stated that there were three South Americans in the VAR room, raising doubts about refereeing impartiality. This claim has not so far been corroborated by independent sources. Zico's goal for Egypt against Argentina curiously echoes the goal scored by the identically named Brazilian player against Argentina at the Spanish World Cup on July 2, 1982.