Argentina makes a stunning comeback to reach the FIFA World Cup quarter finals
Controversial win for Argentina as Egypt exit the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
ATLANTA — After taking a two-goal lead in the round of 16 match between Egypt and Argentina, the Pharaohs thought they had already made it through. This was history in the making as they only had 10 minutes left in the match. Instead, it was quite a dramatic end as the tides turned.
Egypt took the lead in the 15th minute after Marwan Attia set Yasser Ibrahim to open the scoring. It did not take long before Argentina were awarded a penalty. Lionel Messi took the task, but Mostafa Shobier, Egypt’s goalkeeper, was not letting it slide as he saved the penalty. Egypt thought they had doubled the lead, but VAR came to Argentina’s rescue to deny the Pharaohs what appeared to be a spectacular buildup goal.
It did not take long for Egypt to double the lead after Mostafa Ziko put Egypt two goals ahead in the 67th minute. The Egyptians felt they should be three goals up, but the controversy around the disallowed goal led to a feeling of oppression. The Egyptian manager could be seen crossing his forearms in an “X” gesture at the referee.
He used this signal to protest racism and insults during celebrations of Argentina’s third goal and to protest the controversial decisions, which included Egypt’s disallowed goal.
Egyptian official is shown a card after protesting to the referee about his officiating during their match against Argentina in Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta on July 7, 2026 at 6:58 PM. Photo: Catherine Ivill/AMA/Getty Images
Drue Gitonga, a football fan from Kenya, could not hide his disappointment after Egypt got eliminated by Argentina. The match did not miss out on drama and controversy after some of the refs’ decisions impacted the outcome of the match.
Argentina had to pull off a comeback of a lifetime after going two goals down and with ten minutes remaining. The comeback began after Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute to halve the deficit.
It did not take long for Lionel Messi to pull Argentina level after getting the second goal in the 83rd minute. After going level, Argentina went in for the kill, and finally, in the 93rd minute, Enzo Fernandez put the ball in the back of the net to hand Argentina the win.
“Some might feel like the game was rigged, but it has happened before. Same thing happened to Senegal," said Drue Gitonga.”
Now Argentina will face Switzerland in their quarter-final match at Kansas City Stadium, Kansas City, on 12 July.