Lionel Messi made up for missing his second penalty of the 2026 World Cup by inspiring a breathtaking comeback, as Argentina overturned a 2-0 deficit in the final 10 minutes to defeat a valiant Egypt 3-2 in their last-16 encounter in Atlanta. Lionel Scaloni’s men started sluggishly, much like they did in their narrow victory over Cape Verde by the same scoreline, and Egypt capitalised early. Yasser Ibrahim, left unmarked, converted a Marwan Attia cross past Emiliano Martinez after just 15 minutes.

Messi had a golden chance to equalise soon after, but his predictable penalty was comfortably saved by Mostafa Shobeir. The miss meant that the World Cup’s all-time top scorer has now failed to convert four of his eight spot-kicks at the tournament.

That miss looked even more costly when Mostafa Zico finished off a superb Egyptian counter-attack, after having an earlier goal ruled out for a foul on Lisandro Martinez in the build-up.

However, Messi refused to fade away. He delivered a pinpoint cross for Cristian Romero to pull one back before smashing home an equaliser with just seven minutes left on the clock.

Incredibly, Egypt couldn’t even take the game into extra-time. Enzo Fernandez surged forward in stoppage time to meet a stunning cross from Lautaro Martinez on the left, heading home to seal a dramatic win for the Albiceleste.

Below are the player ratings for Argentina from the memorable clash in Atlanta:

Goalkeeper & Defence

Emiliano Martinez (5/10): There was little he could do about either of Egypt’s goals. Made a couple of important claims in the dying stages.

Nahuel Molina (5/10): Played some impressive diagonal passes and delivered a good cross that Alexis Mac Allister should have converted, but was caught out of position on multiple occasions.

Cristian Romero (6/10): As always, fought hard in defence and gave Argentina hope with his powerful header.

Lisandro Martinez (4/10): Showed his trademark aggression but was culpable for Egypt’s opener, losing his man at a critical moment.

Nico Tagliafico (6/10): Was lively down the left flank and won the penalty that Messi squandered. Tired visibly in the second half, understandable given his recent return from injury.

Midfield

Rodrigo De Paul (2/10): Fortunate to retain his place after a poor outing against Cape Verde and performed even worse here. Contributed nothing and was rightly substituted. A dismal display; cannot start the next match.

Leandro Paredes (5/10): Brought in to provide stability in midfield but did not fully succeed. However, made one key intervention to stop a late Egyptian breakaway.

Enzo Fernandez (6/10): The Chelsea midfielder struggled to impose himself for much of the game but rose to the occasion at the very end, heading in Lautaro’s cross for the winner.

Alexis Mac Allister (4/10): With Paredes anchoring the midfield, the Liverpool player had more freedom to push forward but achieved little. Went down easily under challenges and wasted a great header straight at Shobeir.

Attack

Lionel Messi (8/10): Overcome with emotion after full-time, and understandably so. Argentina were on the brink of elimination, and he would have been blamed for another missed penalty. Instead, he delivered again with an assist and a goal. His determination, quality, and leadership once more proved decisive. Truly relentless and timeless.

Julian Alvarez (5/10): Preferred up front ahead of Lautaro but failed to make a significant impact, despite forcing a fine save from Shobeir in the first half. The Atletico Madrid forward will be disappointed with his overall display.

Substitutes & Manager

Lautaro Martinez (7/10): Introduced midway through the second half and almost scored with a near-post header after a superb Messi cross. Later delivered an exquisite ball in the 93rd minute for Enzo’s winner, showing great vision and composure when others might have played for extra-time.

Nico Gonzalez (6/10): Came on alongside Lautaro and injected much-needed energy and urgency into Argentina’s attack.

Gonzalo Montiel (6/10): Brought on with around 15 minutes remaining and played a crucial part in Messi’s equaliser, showing excellent calmness in a crowded penalty area.

Nicolas Otamendi (N/A): Sent on in the final moments to help Argentina close out the game.

Facundo Medina (N/A): Another late substitution by Scaloni to run down the clock.

Lionel Scaloni (6/10): While Messi was once again Argentina’s saviour, the manager deserves credit for making tactical changes that helped turn the match around. However, back-to-back nervy performances mean Scaloni must reassess his midfield ahead of the quarter-final.