World Cup 2026: Egypt knocked out after blowing a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Argentina

Egypt’s impressive FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign has come to an end after the Pharaohs surrendered a two-goal advantage before losing 3-2 to defending champions Argentina in a dramatic Round of 16 encounter.

The African side looked on course for one of the biggest shocks of the tournament after taking a two-goal lead, but Argentina produced a remarkable second-half fightback to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

The result marked the first time in World Cup history that Argentina have recovered from a two-goal deficit to win a match, keeping their hopes of defending their title alive.

Egypt punish Argentina early as Yasser Ibrahim gives Pharaohs the lead

Egypt started the match with confidence and took the lead in the 15th minute when Marwan Attia delivered a quality cross into the penalty area for Yasser Ibrahim, who rose highest to score with a close-range header into the bottom right corner.

Argentina were handed a golden opportunity to respond shortly afterwards when Haissem Hassan’s challenge resulted in a penalty being awarded after referee Francois Letexier pointed to the spot.

However, Lionel Messi was unable to convert from 12 yards as Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir read the attempt perfectly and produced an excellent save to deny the Argentina captain.

The defending champions continued to apply pressure, with Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez both coming close, but Shobeir remained outstanding between the posts. Messi also saw a powerful long-range effort strike the post before the break.

Egypt extend advantage before VAR controversy

Egypt appeared to have doubled their lead shortly after the restart following a rapid counter-attack involving Mohamed Salah.

The Liverpool forward found space before setting up Mostafa Ziko, who calmly finished from close range. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out because of a foul during the build-up.

Despite the disappointment, Egypt continued to threaten and eventually found their second goal in the 67th minute.

Mostafa Ziko completed a brilliant counter-attacking move after receiving a pass from Haissem Hassan, firing a first-time effort into the net to put the Pharaohs 2-0 ahead.

Argentina produce dramatic comeback to break Egyptian hearts

With elimination approaching, Argentina responded with the quality expected from the world champions.

Lionel Messi created the opening for their comeback in the 79th minute, delivering a precise lofted pass into the box for Cristian Gabriel Romero, who powered a header into the right side of the net to reduce the deficit.

Four minutes later, Messi delivered another moment of brilliance. The Argentina captain connected with Gonzalo Montiel’s assist and produced a stunning volley from inside the box that struck the underside of the crossbar before finding the net.

The comeback was completed deep into stoppage time when Enzo Fernandez arrived inside the penalty area to meet Lautaro Martinez’s cross and fired a composed finish into the bottom right corner.

Egypt exit with pride as Argentina move into quarter-finals

The defeat ends Egypt’s hopes of reaching the latter stages of the tournament, despite a courageous performance against the reigning champions.

Argentina’s victory sends them through to the quarter-finals after a historic comeback that will be remembered as one of the defining moments of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.