Egypt had been on course for one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history after goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico put them firmly in control
Atlanta. Lionel Messi inspired a stunning late comeback as Argentina recovered from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in a dramatic World Cup last-16 clash on Tuesday, keeping the defending champions' title defence alive.
Argentina looked destined for a shock exit after trailing 2-0 with just 11 minutes remaining, but a remarkable turnaround saw Cristian Romero and Messi score in quick succession before Enzo Fernandez headed home the winner deep into stoppage time to send the South Americans into the quarter-finals.
Egypt had been on course for one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history after goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico put them firmly in control.
The African side defended resolutely for much of the contest and were inspired by goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir, who produced a series of outstanding saves to frustrate Messi and his teammates.
Messi endured a frustrating first half after missing an early penalty, becoming the first player to miss two penalties at a single World Cup following his earlier miss in the group-stage match against Austria.
Shoubir guessed correctly to dive low to his left and deny the Argentine captain before later making superb stops to keep out Alexis Mac Allister's close-range header and Julian Alvarez's powerful effort.
Messi also struck the post with a free-kick as Argentina piled on the pressure.
Despite Argentina's dominance in possession, it was Egypt who struck first after 15 minutes.
Emam Ashour worked space down the right before recycling possession to Marwan Attia, whose inviting cross was met by Ibrahim with a towering header that gave goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez no chance.
Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage midway through the second half when Zico finished off a flowing move involving Ashour and Mohamed Salah, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review that found Attia had fouled Lisandro Martinez in the build-up.
The North Africans were not denied for long, however. Five minutes later, Salah launched a swift counterattack, and Hassan raced to the byline and delivered a precise cut-back for Zico to sweep home, giving Egypt a 2-0 lead and leaving Argentina on the brink of elimination.
But as Egypt retreated to protect their advantage, they invited relentless Argentine pressure, and Messi ensured they paid the price.
The comeback began in the 79th minute when Messi delivered a pinpoint cross for Romero to head home, reducing the deficit and lifting Argentina's belief.
Four minutes later, Lautaro Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel combined to keep the ball alive inside the penalty area before Messi fired emphatically into the net to level the score and spark wild celebrations among the Argentine supporters.
With momentum firmly on their side, Argentina continued to push forward in search of a winner.
Their persistence was rewarded two minutes into stoppage time when Lautaro Martinez delivered a cross from the right and Fernandez ghosted in at the far post to cushion a header beyond Shoubir, completing one of the tournament's most dramatic comebacks.
Messi, who finished the match in tears after the final whistle, once again proved decisive on the biggest stage, taking his World Cup goal tally to 21 while playing a key role in rescuing his side from elimination.
Argentina will now face either Colombia or Switzerland in Saturday's quarter-final in Kansas City as they continue their bid to retain the World Cup title.
