Argentina produced a stunning comeback from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 in a FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash at Atlanta Stadium. Lionel Messi scored a crucial goal to get the comeback underway. Enzo Fernandez scored the winner in stoppage time. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan was critical of the referee and VAR decisions after the game, saying they influenced the result.

Thekabarnews.com—Argentina staged a brilliant second-half comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup 2026. They booked their place in the quarterfinals after coming back from two goals down.

There was a potential upset at Atlanta Stadium on Tuesday, July 7. The reigning South American champions rallied late behind captain Lionel Messi.

Egypt took the lead early through Yasser Ibrahim in the 15th minute. Mostafa Zico doubled the lead in the 67th minute, extending the African side’s advantage, and putting immense pressure on Argentina.

Time was running out but Argentina responded with authority. Cristian Romero scored in the 79th minute, revitalizing his team’s chances, according to Foxsports.com.

But Messi equalized four minutes later and finished clinically in the 83rd minute. This sent Argentine fans into ecstasy and set up a frenetic climax.

Argentina staged a dramatic comeback to defeat Egypt in a thrilling World Cup playoff. Enzo Fernández’s winner in the 90+2nd minute knocked Egypt out of the competition.

The result sends Argentina into the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Egypt goes home in the round of 16 after a solid effort for most of the match.

Controversy soon engulfed the exciting encounter when Egypt’s coach Hossam Hassan launched an explosive tirade against the match officials.

Hassan raised concerns, stating, “We haven’t seen respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out and a second incident that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). A second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed.”

Hassan accused the referee of wrongly disallowing one of Egypt’s goals and favoring Argentina, according to a post on Reddit.

“There seems to have been pressure on the Argentinian side on the referee that has led to this outcome,” Hassan said.

He stated, “Life is unfair. The world is unfair. OK, but why isn’t there any fairness in sports? I’m not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match.”

The Egyptian coach closed his statement with an attack on the referee. He claimed that the referee did not see the efforts of his players and insinuated that the tournament favored Argentina.

“The referee is unfair, God is sufficient for me and the best disposer of affairs. He’s wasting the effort of an entire nation. The cup is directed towards Argentina,” he said.

According to katv.com, FIFA has not publicly responded to the charges against Hassan. Nor did it indicate it would review the referee’s performance after the game.

Argentina made a fantastic comeback and showed again the dominance of Messi in the national team.

Again, it was the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner who made the crucial intervention, leveling before Fernández turned the match moments later.

The victory keeps Argentina’s hopes alive for another FIFA World Cup crown. Scaloni’s side will look to carry that fighting spirit into the next round as the quarterfinals approach. Meanwhile, Egypt exited after a match that will no doubt rank among the tournament’s most memorable clashes.