‘A phenomenal group that never gives up’: Enzo hails Argentina’s team spirit

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni struggled to contain his emotions while Enzo Fernandez hailed his teammates after their side, inspired by captain 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, a scoreline that remained intact until the final 11 minutes and stoppage time.

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But Messi sparked Argentina's revival, first delivering a pinpoint cross for Cristian Romero to head home in the 79th minute before volleying in a superb equaliser four minutes later to ignite the 68,239-strong crowd.

With extra time looming, Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround in the second minute of stoppage time, heading in the winner to seal one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup knockout history.

The emotional rollercoaster proved too much for Scaloni, who could barely compose himself after the final whistle.

"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."

Fernandez, whose dramatic winner capped the comeback, paid tribute to the spirit within the Argentina squad.

"I'd been longing for this goal for three years. I want to highlight my teammates. We have a phenomenal group, a group that never gives up no matter the difficulties and adversity. We're always together," Fernandez said.

"We had to take advantage of the spaces they gave us, and we did. We came here to enjoy another World Cup and to represent our country. And that's what we're doing.

"Being able to experience moments like this, honestly, I thank God, I'm privileged,” he added.

The victory was another nerve-racking escape for Argentina, who had also been pushed to the limit by Cape Verde in an extra-time thriller in the Round of 32.

Messi's decisive display came despite the captain missing a first-half penalty for the second time in this tournament. Egypt also had a second-half goal ruled out after a controversial VAR decision before Argentina completed a stunning turnaround.

The comeback was historic. Argentina won a World Cup match after trailing 2-0 for the first time in 14 attempts and became the first team in tournament history to recover from a two-goal deficit after the 78th minute of a knockout game and still win in regulation time.

Messi also continued to rewrite the record books. His cross for Romero was his ninth World Cup assist, taking him past Diego Maradona as the tournament's all-time leading assist provider.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner also equalled Miroslav Klose's record of 14 World Cup knockout appearances, collected a record-extending 15th World Cup Man of the Match award, and scored his eighth goal of this tournament to draw level with Guillermo Stabile for the most goals by an Argentine at a single World Cup.

Messi also took the lead back in the Golden Boot race, edging ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland – both of whom scored seven goals so far.

Argentina will now face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarterfinals next Sunday.