Argentina Fight Back To Defeat Egypt, Book World Cup Quarter-Final Spot

WASHINGTON: Argentina came back from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday, thus advancing to the World Cup quarter-finals after a dramatic late comeback led by Lionel Messi.

Egypt came close to creating a historic victory through goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko, in a match that also saw Messi fail to convert a penalty kick.

However, the defending champions proved their superiority by scoring three goals in the last 11 minutes including stoppage time, to ensure their title defence mission continues.

Cristian Romero sparked Argentina’s comeback with a header, before Messi equalised seven minutes from full-time.

That goal put him back at the front of the race for the Golden Boot with eight goals in this tournament.

Enzo Fernandez then emerged as the hero when he completed Argentina’s comeback in the second minute of stoppage time, heading in a cross from Lautaro Martinez to beat Shobeir.

Egypt had managed to contain Argentina for long periods and came close to creating one of the biggest wins in the country’s football history.

Shobeir was outstanding in saving Messi’s penalty in the first half, in addition to making several crucial saves to deny Argentina’s attacking force.

Egypt were also left frustrated when a goal was ruled out following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review early in the second half.

The decision sparked dissatisfaction on Egypt’s bench, before a member of their coaching staff was shown a red card after Argentina’s winning goal.

Argentina will face Colombia or Switzerland in the quarter-final on Saturday.

BERNAMA