Messi leads Argentina's stunning comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta

Argentina was dead and buried for 79 minutes in Atlanta, then Lionel Messi dragged the defending champions out of a 2-0 hole and Enzo Fernández finished the rescue in stoppage time. Egypt had seized control through goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico, and the upset bid looked set to stand until Argentina found three goals in the closing stretch.

The knockout match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, had all the signs of a tournament shock. Egypt’s 2-0 lead held until the 79th minute, and Argentina still had to survive a missed Messi penalty before the captain recovered to drive the comeback. Messi pulled Argentina level in the 83rd minute, shifting the tone of a match that had seemed decided only moments earlier.

Fernández then headed the decisive goal in stoppage time to seal a 3-2 victory and send Argentina into the quarterfinals. The final score capped a furious late surge that turned a last-16 elimination tie against Mohamed Salah’s Egypt into one of the most dramatic escapes of the World Cup. For Argentina, the result kept Lionel Scaloni’s team alive in its defense of the title after a night when the champion looked finished.

Messi’s goal carried added weight beyond the scoreline. It extended his record to six straight World Cup knockout matches with a goal, a mark that underlined his reach even as Argentina spent most of the night chasing the game. The pressure of the moment was visible at the end, when Messi and Scaloni were reported to be in tears after the turnaround was complete.

Egypt had been minutes away from producing the tournament’s signature upset, and for much of the match the result looked ready to stand. Instead, Argentina turned a two-goal deficit into a 3-2 escape, with Messi first keeping the champions alive and Fernández completing the kind of late rescue that can reset an entire knockout run.