Messi’s redemption inspires Argentina to stunning World Cup comeback win over Egypt

Enzo Fernandez scored the late winner as defending champions Argentina mounted a stunning 3-2 comeback win over Egypt in their round of 16 match at the Atlanta Stadium.

Egypt took a surprising lead through Yasser Ibrahim in the 15th minute before Messi failed to level for Argentina six minutes later after missing a penalty kick.

Mostafa Ziko thought he had doubled Egypt’s lead eight minutes into the second half, but the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruled it out for a foul in the buildup to the counterattack that led to the goal.

Ziko finally got his goal in the 67th minute after firing home Haissem Hassan’s pass to double the advantage for the Pharaohs.

Egypt held tight onto their lead into the final 11 minutes of regulation time when everything started to fall apart after Cristian Romero headed home Messi’s cross to kickstart the comeback.

Messi redeemed himself four minutes later when he latched onto a powerful shot to equalise for Argentina before Fernandez secured the victory for the South American country with a stoppage-time header from Lautaro Martinez.

Argentina will face the winners of the round of 16 match between Colombia and Switzerland for a place in the semifinals.