Argentina president Javier Milei celebrated the men's national team's dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt on Tuesday, which secured a quarterfinal spot in the ongoing FIFA World Cup. The match, held in Atlanta, saw the defending champions rally from a two-goal deficit to defeat a valiant Egyptian side led by Mohamed Salah.
President's Reaction
Taking to Instagram, Milei posted a story exclaiming, "Vamos Argentina Carajao" (Come on, Argentina, dammit), reflecting the nation's elation at the thrilling win. The president's message came shortly after the final whistle, as Argentina kept their back-to-back World Cup dream alive.
Match Summary
Egypt stunned Argentina in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from Marwan Attia's corner. Argentina had an immediate chance to respond after Nicolas Tagliafico won a penalty, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir denied Lionel Messi from the spot. Shobeir continued his impressive display by saving efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi also struck the crossbar with a free-kick as Egypt held a 1-0 lead at half-time.
Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage early in the second half through Mostafa Ziko, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review. The Pharaohs were not to be denied for long, however, as Ziko finished off a swift counterattack in the 67th minute after good work from Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan to make it 2-0.
Argentina's Comeback
Argentina responded with renewed urgency after introducing attacking reinforcements. Cristian Romero reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, heading in Messi's inviting free-kick. Just four minutes later, Messi levelled the contest with a powerful strike from the edge of the box that found the net after clipping the goalkeeper's gloves and the underside of the crossbar.
With extra time looming, Argentina completed their remarkable turnaround in stoppage time. A loose ball fell kindly to Enzo Fernandez on the edge of the penalty area, and the midfielder calmly slotted a low finish into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Quarterfinal Berth
The win sends Argentina into the quarter-finals, where they will face the winners of the Round of 16 clash between Switzerland and Colombia on July 8 (IST). The defending champions now look to continue their quest for a second consecutive World Cup title.
