Argentina Rally Past Egypt to Reach World Cup Quarter-finals

Defending champions Argentina staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday, booking their place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals after recovering from a two-goal deficit at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Egypt stunned the three-time world champions with first-half goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico, putting the African side in a commanding position. Argentina had an opportunity to reduce the deficit before the break, but Lionel Messi saw his penalty saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

The holders responded with determination after the interval. Cristian Romero sparked the comeback before Messi quickly made amends for his earlier miss by scoring the equaliser just four minutes later. Midfielder Enzo Fernandez then completed the turnaround with the winning goal to send Argentina into the last eight.

Argentina will now face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals as they continue their bid to become the first nation since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup title.

The victory came after another difficult outing for Argentina, who also needed extra time to overcome Cape Verde 3-2 in the previous round.

Despite the defeat, Egypt leaves the tournament with a historic achievement, having reached the World Cup knockout stage for the first time after failing to progress beyond the group stage in each of its previous four appearances.