Former England footballer Roy Keane hailed Argentina as 'streetfighters' after the Lionel Messi-led side pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in FIFA World Cup history, overturning a 0-2 deficit to defeat Egypt 3-2 and secure a quarterfinal spot.
Dramatic Turnaround in Atlanta
At the 67th minute, Egypt led 2-0 and seemed poised to deliver a historic upset, aiming for their first-ever quarterfinal appearance. However, two goals in four minutes from Cristian Romero and Messi leveled the score by the 83rd minute. Enzo Fernandez then fired a late winner in stoppage time, sealing a thrilling victory that gave the three-time champions a scare of a lifetime.
Speaking on ITV, as quoted by Sky Sports, Keane said: 'These guys are streetfighters. They will not give up. I loved it. Amazing game. The quality of Argentina's goals was amazing.'
Messi's Tears of Joy
After the match, a visibly emotional Messi, 39, shed tears of joy as his team was pushed to their limits but relied on class, experience, and big-match pedigree to prevail. The scenes came just a day after his long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo left the pitch in tears following Portugal's 1-0 loss to Spain, courtesy of a late winner from Mikel Merino. Keane added: 'Yesterday we saw sad tears from Cristiano Ronaldo. Today we see happy tears from Messi.'
Match Details
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 Messi from the spot. Shobeir continued his impressive display, 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 Response
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 leveled 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 Outlook
The win sends Argentina into the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the Round of 16 clash between Switzerland and Colombia on July 8 (IST).
