'I'm really emotional': Scaloni left speechless after Argentina's epic fightback

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni struggled to contain his emotions after his side, inspired by their great skipper Lionel Messi, produced a remarkable late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 and book their place in the World Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.

The reigning champions appeared to be heading for a stunning exit at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico gave Egypt a 2-0 lead. It stayed that way till the final phase of the game, with just 11 minutes of normal time remaining.

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But Messi sparked Argentina's revival, first setting up Cristian Romero's 79th-minute header before volleying home the equaliser four minutes later to make it 2-2 and ignite the 68,239-strong crowd.

With extra time looming, Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround in the second minute of stoppage time, heading in a dramatic winner to send Argentina through.

The emotional rollercoaster proved too much for Scaloni, who could barely compose himself during his post-match interview.

"I can't look up, I'm sorry. I'm really emotional right now," Scaloni said.

"What a group of players, man. That's it, I've got to go."

The dramatic victory capped another nerve-racking outing for Argentina, who had also been pushed to the limit by Cape Verde in an extra-time thriller in the Round of 32 just days earlier.

Messi's decisive contribution came despite the captain missing a first-half penalty for the second time in the tournament. Egypt also had a second-half goal ruled out following a controversial VAR decision before Argentina completed one of the competition's most memorable comebacks.

Argentina will now face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals, but for Scaloni, the immediate feeling after the final whistle was one of overwhelming pride in a team that refused to give up until the very end.