Argentina’s dramatic comeback against Egypt led to emotional outbursts on and off the pitch, and tears. Lionel Messihappy teammates and happy fans in Buenos Aires are celebrating the great escape of 2026 FIFA World Cup.After overturning a two-goal deficit in the final 13 minutes to beat Egypt 3-2 in their Round of 16 match on Tuesday, world champions celebrated. From Messi shedding tears to his teammates lifting the captain into the air, and the wild scenes in the dining room filled with dancing, singing and showering, the victory was as much about the relief as it was about the football.
Messi’s tears, the dressing room party captures the imagination of Argentina
Argentina’s journey to the tournament was very interesting. At 2-0 down in the 67th minute, elimination seemed inevitable. What followed was a stunning revival as Cristian Romero, Messi and Enzo Fernandez all found the net within 13 minutes to record a stunning comeback.The final whistle sparked months of speculation. Messi was seen shedding tears of joy as his teammates hugged him before carrying the captain over their shoulders. A number of players were also lost on the pitch after surviving one of the toughest tests in their title defence.The celebrations continued long after the match inside the dressing room. Players danced, chanted loudly, waved their shirts in the air and splashed each other with water in a show of escapism. Messi, wearing a gentle smile, watched as his teammates were ushered into an unforgettable moment.The Argentine Football Association also shared a video of the celebrations, thanking the players for their fight and their determination not to give up while praising the team for defending the national colors with everything they had.
A stunning comeback keeps the World Cup dream alive
Egypt stunned Argentina early on when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from Marwan Attia’s corner in the 15th minute. Messi then missed a chance when goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir made a superb save, denying Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez before the big man lashed the ball home with a free kick.The Afarao looked to have sealed the contest when Mostafa Ziko finished off a quick strike in the 67th minute to make it 2-0 after excellent work from Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan.But Argentina refused to give up. Romero fired past Messi in the 79th minute before the captain added a powerful strike four minutes later. In stoppage time, Fernandez headed into the bottom corner to complete a stunning 3-2 conversion.The impressive victory set up the quarter-final showdown with Switzerland on July 12, where celebrations spread beyond the stadium, with incredible events taking place in Buenos Aires as supporters flocked to the streets to celebrate another unforgettable night of the World Cup.