Atlanta/Vancouver: Argentina staged a sensational comeback against Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 on Tuesday night, recovering from a two-goal deficit to secure a dramatic victory and book a place in the quarter-finals. Lionel Messi’s side will now face Switzerland on Sunday morning.
Romero Ignites Argentina’s Fightback
Defending champions Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2 in one of the most thrilling matches of the tournament.
Egypt shocked the South American giants in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim scored the opening goal.
The African side doubled its lead in the 67th minute through Mostafa Ziko, making it 2-0 and silencing thousands of Argentina supporters inside the stadium.
Despite trailing by two goals, Messi and his teammates refused to give up. They stepped up the intensity and launched wave after wave of attacks.
Until the 79th minute, Egypt appeared firmly in control of the contest.
Cristian Romero then scored to reduce the deficit to 2-1, breathing new life into Argentina’s campaign and lifting the spirits of their fans.
Messi Levels Before Fernandez Delivers the Winner
Messi had earlier missed a penalty, but the Argentine captain quickly put that disappointment behind him.
In the 83rd minute, he produced a moment of brilliance to score the equaliser and make it 2-2.
Argentina scored twice within four minutes to completely change the complexion of the match.
Messi, playing in his sixth FIFA World Cup, has arguably produced his best football of the tournament. Besides scoring, he also created chances throughout the match and refused to let the missed penalty affect his performance.
Just when the match seemed destined for extra time, Messi set up Enzo Fernandez, who scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute to complete Argentina’s remarkable 3-2 comeback victory.
Tears of Joy for Messi
Messi was overcome with emotion after the final whistle.
The Argentina captain had tears of joy in his eyes as he celebrated with his teammates on the pitch for several minutes.
The players then acknowledged the applause of more than 90,000 spectators after sealing their place in the quarter-finals.
Switzerland Reaches Quarter-finals After 72 Years
In Tuesday’s other Round of 16 match, Switzerland defeated Colombia in a penalty shootout to qualify for the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 72 years.
Neither team could score during the 90 minutes of regulation time or the 30 minutes of extra time, with the match ending 0-0.
Switzerland eventually won the penalty shootout 4-3, with Granit Xhaka and Ruben Vargas playing crucial roles in the historic victory.
FIFA World Cup Quarter-final Fixtures
With 40 of the 48 participating teams eliminated, only eight nations remain in contention for the title.
France vs Morocco
Thursday, 1:30 AM (IST)
Spain vs Belgium
Friday, 12:30 AM (IST)
England vs Norway
Saturday, 2:30 AM (IST)
Argentina vs Switzerland
Sunday, 6:30 AM (IST)
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