The remarkable journey of Egypt at the FIFA World Cup ended in dramatic and heartbreaking fashion on Tuesday evening at the hands of Argentina.
Defending world champions Argentina narrowly avoided elimination by mounting a spectacular late fightback to crush Egypt’s dreams and secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals.
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Having already endured extra time against Cape Verde in the previous round, Lionel Scaloni’s squad fell behind 0-2 in Atlanta after Yasser Ibrahim beat Lisandro Martínez to score early and Mostafa Zico doubled the advantage following a disallowed VAR effort.
Argentina’s uphill battle looked terminal after Egypt goalkeeper, Mostafa Shobeir, denied a first-half penalty from Lionel Messi – marking the 39-year-old’s second missed spot-kick of the competition following an earlier failure against Austria.
The match flipped on its head in the final 11 minutes when Cristian Romero ignited the recovery by nodding home an unmarked header from close range. Messi quickly redeemed his earlier error by smashing in his 21st career World Cup goal to equalise, paving the way for a chaotic and controversial stoppage-time finish.
Moments after a furious Egyptian bench exploded over a denied penalty shout for a foul on Mohamed Salah, Argentina launched a lethal counter-attack, culminating in Enzo Fernández heading home a Lautaro Martínez cross in the 92nd minute.
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The dramatic match-winner – officially recognised as the 3,000th goal in World Cup history – broke the hearts of a resilient Egyptian side and lined up a quarter-final date against either Colombia or Switzerland.
Omar Marmoush match statistics vs Argentina
17 Minutes
7 Touches
3 Accurate Passes
60% Pass Accuracy
1 Recovery
1 Was Fouled
1 Ground Duel Won
Data courtesy of FotMob.
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