Lionel Messi, overcome with emotion, helped Argentina stage one of the most scarcely believable comebacks in World Cup history as the holders scored three goals in 14 second-half minutes to snatch a 3-2 victory over Egypt in Atlanta.
The Argentine icon missed a penalty in the first half but recovered to assist Cristian Romero and then score a clinical equaliser before Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez notched a stoppage-time winner to send his team into the quarter-finals.
“Messi missed a penalty but inspired three late goals to beat Egypt 3-2.”
Egypt had taken a dream start when defender Yasser Ibrahim escaped the attention of Lisandro Martinez to head beyond Emi Martinez. Messi was then handed a golden chance to haul Argentina level after Nicolas Tagliafico was taken down by Haissem Hassan, but the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner saw his spot-kick saved by Mostafa Shobeir, who leapt to his left.
The miss means Messi has now failed to convert his last two World Cup penalties and four overall. Despite that, Argentina should have equalised before the break: Alexis Mac Allister saw a header well saved by Shobeir, while Julian Alvarez was denied from close range.
Egypt thought they had doubled their lead in the second half when Hassan charged down the right, picked out Mo Salah, who rolled the ball to Ziko. He dispatched emphatically, but the celebrations were cut short after a VAR review ruled a foul earlier in the move. Ziko then had another chance to take acclaim, thumping home a brilliant second to put Egypt on the brink of a famous upset.
With 10 minutes left, Argentina found a foothold as Romero headed home from Messi's cross. Messi then stepped up when his nation needed him most, scoring a clinical equaliser. The turnaround was completed in stoppage time when Fernandez fired home, prompting Messi to break down in tears.
Argentina's victory sets up a quarter-final clash with Colombia or Switzerland. Egypt, who had been on the verge of one of the all-time shock results, were left to reflect on how they let victory slip on a dramatic evening in Atlanta. Messi, now the tournament's top scorer with eight goals, will hope to lead his team deeper into the competition.