Never underestimate Lionel Messi. Just when it seemed that his aspirations of guiding Argentina to a second consecutive World Cup title were crumbling, the 39-year-old star delivered yet another stunning performance to rescue his nation.
With just 11 minutes remaining, Argentina found themselves in a precarious position after Yasser Ibrahim’s early header and a second goal from Mostafa Ziko, named after the Brazilian football icon. Lionel Scaloni’s team appeared to be heading for a monumental upset against Egypt. Mostafa Shobair, whose father, Ahmed, was the Pharaohs’ goalkeeper during the 1990 World Cup, showcased exceptional skill, thwarting every attempt from the reigning champions.
Messi, visibly emotional at the final whistle, had previously made history as the first player to miss two penalty kicks in the same World Cup tournament. However, there was no stopping him this time. He provided an assist for Cristian Romero, which reignited Argentina’s hopes, before netting the equalizer to extend his World Cup tally to 21 goals, just eight minutes from the end. This match was anticipated as a duel between two iconic No 10s, and in a twist of fate, it was Salah who inadvertently lost possession leading to Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández heading in the decisive goal from Lautaro Martínez’s cross. Although Egypt argued there was a foul in the buildup, the goal stood.
Scaloni had assured his players would be “on alert” following a narrow escape against Cape Verde in their previous match, making three substitutions from the extra-time victory in Miami. Julián Alvarez was reinstated in the attack in place of Lautaro Martínez. Egypt, determined to make an impact, made two changes from their notable penalty shootout victory over Australia, opting for Haissem Hassan over Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush while matching Argentina’s 4-4-2 formation.
Hossam Hassan’s squad arrived in the U.S. having never secured a win in World Cup finals across three previous tournaments, including an early exit in 1934. After finally breaking that streak, the seven-time African champions were eager to make a statement and started the game in style.
Leandro Paredes was quick to respond, clearing a threatening free kick from Marwan Attia. However, Argentina failed to heed the warning. In the 15th minute, Mohamed Hany earned a corner, and Attia’s delivery was met with a powerful header from Ibrahim, who celebrated as disbelief spread across the Egyptian bench.
They had another chance when Hassan fouled Nicolas Tagliafico in the box, prompting the French referee to award a penalty. Yet again, Messi could not convert, as his poorly taken shot was expertly saved by Shobair. Despite being one of the greatest players in history, his penalty conversion rate at the World Cup has been a mere 50%.
Shobair, who recently emerged as the first-choice goalkeeper over veteran Mohamed El Shenawy following impressive club performances with Al Ahly, continued to deny Argentina. He made a stunning save from Alexis Mac Allister, as Argentina’s frustrations mounted. A curling free-kick from Messi struck the post, and Shobair somehow thwarted a close-range effort from Alvarez after a well-placed pass from Tagliafico. The Atlético Madrid forward was left stunned. Remarkably, this was the first time Argentina had trailed at halftime in a World Cup match since their 4-0 defeat to Germany in the 2010 quarter-finals.
Despite the setback, Argentina showed little improvement after the break. To Scaloni’s relief, a brilliant goal from Ziko was disallowed by the video assistant referee due to a foul by Attia on Lisandro Martínez in the buildup. However, Egypt soon took the lead again when Hossan outpaced Nahuel Moilna, delivering a perfect assist for Ziko to score past Emi Martínez.
Suddenly, Argentina faced the grim prospect of defeat. Yet, in true Messi fashion, he responded, converting from Romero’s precise cross to narrow the gap. The roar from the crowd was nothing compared to the explosion of joy just four minutes later when Messi found the net again. Egypt failed to clear the danger, and when the ball fell to Messi, he made no mistake, despite Shobair managing to get a hand on the shot. The match was far from over, however.
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