For most of the match, an enormous upset seemed set in stone. Egypt stunned the holders early when Yasser Ibrahim outmaneuvered Lisandro Martinez to power home a brilliant header in the 15th minute, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Argentina’s night went from bad to worse when Lionel Messi missed a crucial penalty—denied by Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. It marked Messi’s second penalty failure of the tournament, leaving fans wondering if the magic had finally run out.
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When Mostafa Zico doubled Egypt’s lead with just 23 minutes left on the clock, the champions looked dead and buried.
The 14-Minute MiracleWith their World Cup lives on the line, Argentina suddenly ignited an unanswered three-goal blitz:
81st Minute: Cristian Romero sparked hope with a completely unmarked header to make it 2-1.
85th Minute: Lionel Messi redeemed his earlier penalty miss, unleashing a blistering, unstoppable strike from inside the box to level the score.
93rd Minute: Deep into stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez met a perfect cross from Lautaro Martinez, heading home the winner to complete the impossible turnaround.
“To see a team look so defeated and then flip a switch like that is exactly why we love the World Cup,” soccer analysts noted as the final whistle blew on the historic Atlanta clash.
Argentina now marches on to Kansas for a quarter-final showdown on Saturday, where they will face either Switzerland or Colombia.
