Messi avoids a historic slap in the World Cup

BarcelonaArgentina had to bring out the champion's character to avoid one of the biggest surprises of this World Cup. Lionel Scaloni's team came back from 0-2 down against Egypt in the final minutes (3-2) and qualified for the quarterfinals after a match in which they lived on the edge. The Egyptian team narrowly missed the feat thanks to a colossal performance from goalkeeper Shobeir and a tactical approach that neutralized the Argentinians for a large part of the duel. When all seemed lost, Leo Messi, who ended the match in tears, reappeared to lead a lightning comeback that was finally completed by Enzo Fernández in added time.

With the defeat, Egypt put an end to a historic World Cup run, but one that was insufficient to eliminate the reigning champion. The Pharaohs could not overcome the round of 16 ceiling, thus equaling their best World Cup record, achieved in 1934. Despite this, they said goodbye leaving an image of a brave, solid, and resilient team that only yielded in the final minutes to the Argentine push and the pressure of a Mercedes-Benz Stadium fully behind the albiceleste. Argentina, for its part, continues on the path to retain the title, but again leaves more doubts than certainties. Just like against Cape Verde, Scaloni's men had to battle until the end to avoid an elimination that would have been sensational.

Shobeir, the Egyptian goalkeeper, protagonist of a heroic first half

The first few minutes of the match were marked by Argentina's lack of offensive precision. Despite monopolizing possession, the South Americans were unable to create clear chances. Faced with the opponent's high press, Egypt knew how to get out with criteria: first with a slow circulation from the back and then, filtering passes once the first pressing line was overcome.

The start of the Pharaohs was much more forceful. They pressed all over the field, loaded the game down the right wing and found their reward in the first set-piece action. In the 14th minute, Marwan Atta served a cross from a short corner for Yasser Ibrahim to head into the back of the net.

Atlanta's stadium fell silent, a silence broken only by the euphoria of the small group of Egyptian fans. Far from retreating, the North Africans maintained their pressure and continued to bother an uninspired Argentina. Scaloni's side's clearest chance came from the penalty spot, after a penalty caused by Tagliafico, but Shobeir capped an excellent performance by saving Messi's shot. The Argentine captain set a new World Cup record by becoming the player with the most missed penalties in the competition's history, with four misses, two of which in this edition. However, this statistic is an anecdote compared to being able to say that at 39 years old he has scored eight goals in the competition.

After the hydration break, the Egyptian goalkeeper was once again decisive with several notable saves against the Argentine onslaught. Hassan's men gave up on seeking a second goal and entrenched themselves in defense, resisting the siege. At this point, Argentina came close to equalizing, but haste, constant interruptions, and the Egyptians' skill ultimately led the match to halftime with the 1-0 score intact.

Messi, leader and savior of the 'albiceleste'

In the second half, Paredes and Julián Álvarez tried to surprise with long-range shots without success. Scaloni's team proposed offensive football, but the lack of passes between the lines and verticality doomed them. The attacks died before becoming clear chances.

Egypt maintained the same plan they had adopted in the final stretch of the first half: a low block, defensive order, and patience. Withdrawn, Hassan's men let the minutes pass while Argentina became increasingly desperate. Despite punctually approaching the draw, the albiceleste team repeatedly ran into an impenetrable defense and an immense Shobeir under the posts, in a second half that was increasingly dense and without a clear dominant force.

In one of the few attacks by the Pharaohs, Ziko froze the Argentine fans by finishing off a counter-attack that made it 0-2. However, VAR disallowed the goal for a prior foul on Lisandro Martínez. The scare did not alter the plan of Hassan's men, who continued to show themselves to be more lively. Every recovery was an opportunity to look for space behind the defense with long passes and keep the danger alive during the middle stretch of the match.

And he who warns is not a traitor. In a new counter-attack led by Salah, Hassan drove the ball down the right wing to the edge of the small box, from where he served a back pass for Ziko to, this time from the penalty spot, send the ball into the net in the 67th minute. The 0-2 punished an unrecognizable Argentina.

The champion's solution was to cling to Messi again, who opened the path of hope with an assist for Cuti Romero to reduce the deficit in the 79th minute and ignite the match. The 1-2 sowed doubts among the Egyptians, who began to concede ground. Poor negotiation.

Just three minutes later, Messi himself completed the comeback. After an action inside the box, he connected a volley to score the equalizer with his 21st goal in a World Cup finals. In just two minutes, Argentina had turned the game around and regained control. And when everything suggested the match would end in extra time, with both teams exhausted, Argentina still found the strength to complete the comeback. In the 92nd minute, Enzo Fernández headed in a cross from Lautaro Martínez to make it 3-2 definitively and serve the albiceleste delirium on an afternoon that will be remembered for many years.