Lionel Messi scored in a record sixth straight World Cup knockout match to help Argentina reach the quarterfinals after a stunning late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta.
Egypt were leading the defending champions 2-0 heading into the closing stages before Messi provided an assist for Cristian Romero in the 79th minute and then a goal of his own four minutes later to tie the score.
Just when it seemed that extra time was on the cards, Enzo Fernández headed into the net in the second minute of stoppage time to complete a remarkable turnaround at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It is the first time in World Cup history that a team has won a knockout match in regulation time after trailing by two goals in the 75th minute.
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Argentina, who are bidding to become the first back-to-back World Cup champions since Brazil in 1958 and ’62, will face either Colombia or Switzerland in the quarterfinals in Kansas City on Saturday.
Egypt looked set to produce a stunning upset after Yasser Ibrahim’s 15th-minute goal was added to by Mostafa Zico’s close-range strike on the counterattack in the 67th minute. The record seven-time African champions, who had already made history by advancing to the round of 16 for the first time, had earlier had a second goal ruled out following video review.
Messi missed a chance to equalize in the first half when his penalty was saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. He also hit the post when the score was 1-0.
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Messi extended his unwanted record for the most penalties missed in regulation time at the World Cup, having now failed to score on four of his eight attempts. He is the first player in World Cup history to miss two penalties at a single edition, having also failed to score from the penalty spot against Austria in the group stage.
But more significantly, he has now scored in a record nine consecutive World Cup matches dating back to Argentina’s title run in 2022. Tuesday’s goal marked his 13th in that nine-game span.
His eight goals at this tournament put him one clear of France‘s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.
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The goal also gave Messi a two-goal lead over Mbappé on the all-time World Cup goal leaderboard.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
