Never underestimate Lionel Messi’s impact on the game. Just when it appeared that his aspirations to guide Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup title were slipping away, the 39-year-old star once again delivered an unforgettable performance.
With merely 11 minutes remaining and Argentina trailing after Yasser Ibrahim’s early header and a subsequent goal from Mostafa Ziko, the team faced a shocking defeat against Egypt. Mostafa Shobair, the Egyptian goalkeeper with a storied family legacy, put on a remarkable display, thwarting every attempt the reigning champions made to score.
Messi, visibly emotional at the final whistle, had earlier made history by being the first player ever to miss two penalties in the same World Cup tournament. Yet, he refused to be denied this time. An assist from Cristian Romero reignited Argentina’s hopes before Messi extended his World Cup tally to 21 goals with an equalizer just eight minutes from the end. In a matchup of two iconic No. 10s, it was ironic that Mohamed Salah lost possession, leading to Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández heading in the decisive goal from a cross by Lautaro Martínez. Egypt was left furious, believing a foul had occurred during the buildup, but their protests were in vain.
Argentina’s coach, Lionel Scaloni, had assured his players were “on alert” following a narrow victory over Cape Verde in the previous round, opting for three changes from their extra-time win in Miami. This included a return for Julián Alvarez in the forward line, replacing Lautaro Martínez, while Egypt made two adjustments from their historic penalty shootout win against Australia, bravely mirroring Argentina’s 4-4-2 formation by selecting Haissem Hassan instead of Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush.
Hossam Hassan’s squad arrived in the USA with a dismal World Cup finals record, having never secured a victory in three prior appearances, including a first-round exit in 1934. After finally breaking that streak, the seven-time African champions were determined to make their mark and started the match strongly.
Leandro Paredes was quick to clear a threatening free kick from Marwan Attia early in the game. However, Argentina failed to heed the warning signs. In the 15th minute, Mohamed Hany earned a corner, and Attia’s delivery was met with a powerful header from Ibrahim, who celebrated in disbelief as the Egyptian bench erupted in joy.
Egypt was soon presented another chance when Hassan fouled Nicolas Tagliafico in the penalty area, prompting the French referee to award a penalty. Yet again, Messi could not convert as his poorly executed shot was saved by Shobair. Despite being hailed as one of the greatest players in history, his success rate from the spot in World Cup matches remains a concern.
Shobair, who has recently established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper over veteran Mohamed El Shenawy, made a fantastic save against Alexis Mac Allister, as Argentina’s frustrations started to mount. Messi’s curling free-kick struck the outside of the post, and Shobair denied Alvarez with a remarkable close-range stop after the striker was set up by Tagliafico. This marked the first time Argentina trailed at halftime in a World Cup match since their 4-0 defeat to Germany in the 2010 quarter-finals.
Despite showing little improvement after the break, Scaloni found some relief when the video assistant referee ruled out a brilliant breakaway goal from Ziko at the beginning of the second half due to a foul on Lisandro Martínez that occurred nearly 30 seconds earlier. However, Egypt quickly regained their momentum, with Hossan outpacing Nahuel Moilna and providing a perfect cutback for Ziko to finish past Emi Martínez.
Argentina suddenly faced the threat of a shocking defeat. In a moment of urgency, Messi came through once again, converting from Romero’s precise cross to narrow the gap. The roar from the crowd was dwarfed by the eruption that followed his equalizing goal just four minutes later. Egypt failed to clear, and when the ball fell to Messi, he had only one intention, even as Shobair got two hands to his shot, he could not prevent it from crossing the line. The drama didn’t end there.
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