Lightning struck twice for Argentina.
Just four days after scraping past Cape Verde in extra time in the Round of 32, Argentina found themselves in another mess. The defending champions were two goals down against Egypt, Lionel Messi had missed a penalty and, for the second knockout game running, their title defence was hanging by a thread.
Then came another escape.
Argentina vs Egypt, FIFA World Cup: HIGHLIGHTS
Cristian Romero’s header changed the mood, Messi got the goal his performance deserved and Enzo Fernandez completed a stunning stoppage-time turnaround as Argentina fought back to beat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta and book their place in the quarter-finals. It was another night that showed why this side refuses to give up. It also raised familiar questions.
The television cameras quickly found Messi after the final whistle.
The Argentina captain had tears in his eyes again. That’s what stood out. He has already lifted the World Cup, already given Argentina the one trophy that had eluded both him and the country for decades. Yet here he was again, overcome with emotion after a Round of 16 win. It said plenty about how much this still means to him.
Messi was Argentina’s best player from start to finish. Yes, he missed a penalty and hit the post with a free-kick, but he also finished with a goal and an assist while creating almost every dangerous move. The bigger issue for Scaloni wasn’t his captain’s performance. It was how often Argentina looked short of ideas without him.
That is becoming a pattern. Winning ugly is often the mark of champions. Depending on one player every knockout game isn’t.
VAR DRAMA TURNS THE TIDE
Egypt deserved far more than sympathy. Hossam Hassan’s side were organised, brave and looked dangerous every time they broke forward. Yasser Ibrahim’s first-half header gave them the lead, while Haissem Hassan caused problems throughout with his pace and direct running. Mohamed Salah quietly pulled the strings whenever Egypt got forward.
The biggest talking point came early in the second half. Mostafa Zico thought he had doubled Egypt’s lead after a superb counterattack, only for VAR to spot a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martinez much earlier in the move. The decision was within the laws, but it was one of those calls that will be debated because of how little it seemed to affect the goal itself.
Egypt didn’t spend long complaining. They went straight back down the other end and scored again, this time with no intervention. Hassan drove forward, Salah picked the pass and Zico finished calmly. At 2-0, Argentina looked out.
MESSI’S HELP ARRIVES
The comeback started with Romero attacking a Messi cross like a centre-forward. It continued when Messi finally got his goal after Egypt failed to clear their lines. By then, Argentina had something they lacked for much of the evening, belief.
Scaloni’s changes also made a difference. Lautaro Martinez came on expecting to chase a goal of his own but instead showed patience to pick out Enzo Fernandez, whose stoppage-time header completed one of the wildest turnarounds of the tournament. Suddenly, the players around Messi were making decisive contributions too.
Argentina are through, and that is all that will matter tonight. But this was the second knockout game in a row where they flirted with elimination before finding a way back. It speaks volumes about their character.
It also suggests that if they want to defend the World Cup, they will need a lot more from everyone not wearing No. 10.
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