Messi leads Argentina comeback, Egypt and Colombia earn praise

Lionel Messi dragged Argentina back from a 2-0 deficit in Atlanta, scoring in the 83rd minute as the defending champions beat Egypt 3-2 and reached the World Cup quarterfinals. Argentina turned the match around with goals from Romero in the 79th minute, Messi four minutes later and Fernández in stoppage time, after Egypt had gone ahead through Ibrahim in the 15th minute and Zico in the 67th.

The comeback carried clear historical weight. Messi’s goal was his sixth straight appearance on the scoresheet in a World Cup knockout match, a record, and Argentina became the first team to win a direct elimination game after trailing by two goals with 15 minutes left. That is the kind of rescue that papers over tactical problems for one night and leaves the larger dependency untouched: when the title holder needed a solution, it still came from Messi’s left foot.

The setting amplified the stakes. FIFA entered the knockout stage describing Argentina as the reigning champion in a 2026 tournament built around 48 teams, 104 matches and host nations in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Egypt, meanwhile, came within reach of a landmark result of its own. ESPN described the match as an instant classic and noted that Egypt had been chasing the chance to become only the second African team in the quarterfinals, after Morocco.

Argentina’s path now runs through another tense, narrow-margin result. In Vancouver, Switzerland eliminated Colombia 4-3 on penalties after 120 scoreless minutes, reaching the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1954. Colombia held on through regulation and extra time, but the shootout ended its run and delivered Switzerland the right to face Argentina next.

Taken together, the two matches framed the same knockout truth from opposite sides. Argentina survived because Messi solved a structural problem in a few decisive minutes; Colombia exited because effort alone could not protect it through a penalty shootout. For South American powers, the line between celebration and elimination was measured in inches, a late strike in Atlanta and a missed spot kick in Vancouver.