Argentina achieved a very difficult victory over Egypt by three goals to two, in the confrontation that brought them together on Tuesday evening, within the competitions of the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, which made the captain's comrades Lionel Messi reserve their seat in the quarter-finals of the international competition.

The Egyptian national team entered the competitions of the first half and the eyes of coach Hossam Hassan's battalion on not conceding an early goal, after imposing close control on Lionel Messi, relying on Haitham Hassan's quick movements on the right side, in addition to focusing on longitudinal crosses, which made Yasser Ibrahim succeed in scoring a goal for the "Pharaohs" in the 15th minute, after he rose in the air and put the ball with an elaborate header in the goalkeeper's net, which he could not stop.

Messi wastes a penalty

Although the Argentina national team got a penalty, but captain Lionel Messi failed to score it, after goalkeeper Mustafa Schubert rose in the air and saved it in a wonderful way, after which the champion of the Qatar 2022 World Cup continued his great pressure, but the protector of the "Pharaohs' den" played a role in making coach Hossam Hassan's battalion finish the first 45 advances with the result of the match with a clean goal.

The Argentina national team had 59% possession of the ball, and fired seven shots, including three between the crossbar and the posts, with Lionel Messi's comrades moving the ball between them 262 times, but coach Hossam Hassan's battalion was able to outscore the result, after retreating to its defensive areas and relying on the quick movements of Mohamed Salah and Haitham Hassan.

The Argentina national team continued to put pressure on the defenders of the Egyptian national team in the second half, but coach Hossam Hassan's battalion was able to deal with the offensive tide in a wonderful way, after focusing on the movements of Haitham Hassan, who played a role in leading a counterattack, which reached Mohamed Salah, who gave a ball on a plate who went to Mustafa Zico to score the second goal in the 58th minute, but the VAR technology intervened, and asked the referee to review the situation on the screen, to discover that Marwan Attia Lisandro Martinez blocked before building up the attack.

The tango team returns from afar

The stars of the Egyptian national team were not affected by what happened, after Haitham Hassan returned to provide a wonderful skill break, after manipulating the Argentina defender, and presented a pass on a plate that went to his colleague Mustafa Ziko, who put it strongly in the net of the goalkeeper, who failed to save it in the 67th minute, but Lionel Messi's comrades refused to give up, after Cristian Romero succeeded in scoring a goal through an elaborate header in the 79th minute.

Messi took advantage of the lack of defensive control imposed on him in the box, and sent a strong ball that inhabited the net of the Egyptian national team's goalkeeper, Mustafa Schubert, in the 83rd minute, to force Argentina to tie the game against the "Pharaohs", who came out in stoppage time in search of the third goal, but the world champion took advantage of the weakness of defensive coverage, after Enzo Fernandez succeeded in scoring the third victory goal in stoppage time, and gifted his country a ticket to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Argentina defeats 3 African teams

The Argentina national team continued to write history in the 2026 World Cup, after becoming the first team to achieve victory over three African teams during a single edition of the tournament, in an unprecedented achievement in the history of the World Cup, and the victories of the "Tango Dancers" came in front of: Egypt (round of 16), Cape Verde (round of 32) and Algeria (group stage)

This historic figure reflects the distinctive path presented by the Argentine team in the tournament, especially in light of the record participation of African teams in the 2026 edition, which witnessed the unprecedented presence of nine teams from the African continent in the knockout rounds.

Messi continued his brilliance in the 2026 World Cup, after scoring a new goal during the match against Egypt in the round of 16, to contribute to his country's 3-2 victory and book a ticket to the quarter-finals.

Messi tops World Cup scorers

Messi raised his tally to 8 goals in the current edition of the World Cup, to continue competing for the title of top scorer of the tournament, and he also strengthened his position at the top of the World Cup's all-time top scorers after reaching 21 goals, three goals ahead of France's Kylian Mbappe.

World Cup Historical Scorers Ranking:

1. Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 21 goals.

2. Kylian Mbappe (France) – 18 goals.

3. Miroslav Klose (Germany) – 16 goals.

Messi, with his exceptional numbers, confirms his continued historic presence in the World Cup, after he continued to break records and add another achievement to his career with the Argentina national team.