Argentina narrowly avoided one of the biggest upsets of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after surviving a spirited challenge from tournament debutants Cabo Verde.
The defending champions eventually secured a dramatic 3-2 victory to book a highly anticipated Round of 16 clash against Egypt.
The contest kept football fans on edge from start to finish. Cabo Verde refused to back down despite facing Lionel Messi and one of the tournament favourites.
Meanwhile, Egypt also earned a place in the knockout stage after defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
The Argentina vs Egypt World Cup fixture has instantly become one of the most talked-about matches of the competition. Both captains have carried their nations throughout the tournament and will now battle for a place in the quarter-finals.
Argentina entered the match against Cabo Verde as overwhelming favourites.
Messi opened the scoring with a brilliant finish after controlling the ball inside the penalty area. The goal was his seventh of the tournament and the 20th World Cup goal of his legendary career.
Nevertheless, Cabo Verde refused to surrender.
Deroy Duarte found the equaliser shortly after the hour mark. His strike stunned Argentina and forced the defending champions to increase the intensity of their play.
Furthermore, the equaliser injected belief into the tournament newcomers, who continued to press forward despite Argentina’s attacking quality.
Argentina regained the lead early in extra time through Lisandro Martinez. However, the drama was far from over.
Sidny Lopes Cabral produced a stunning effort that flew into the top corner to level the score once again.
Consequently, Argentina needed another moment of quality.
The breakthrough finally arrived from a corner kick. Messi delivered an accurate cross into the penalty area. Cristian Romero rose highest before the ball eventually deflected off Diney Borges into the net for an own goal.
The goal sealed Argentina’s hard-earned victory and ended Cabo Verde’s remarkable World Cup journey.
Although defeated, Cabo Verde earned widespread praise for their fearless display. Their performance demonstrated that they belonged on football’s biggest stage.
Meanwhile, Egypt needed penalties to overcome a determined Australian side after regulation time ended 1-1.
Emam Ashour had earlier given Egypt the lead in the 13th minute. Australia later fought back to force extra time before the contest moved to penalties.
Egypt remained calm from the spot.
Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia, Mohamed Salah and Hossam Abdelmaguid all converted their penalty kicks.
Australia, however, struggled under pressure.
Harry Souttar missed the opening penalty after blasting his effort over the crossbar.
Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil successfully converted their attempts. Nevertheless, substitute goalkeeper Mathew Ryan could not stop Egypt’s perfect penalty display.
Furthermore, Lucas Herrington struck the crossbar during Australia’s fourth attempt, allowing Abdelmaguid to seal Egypt’s historic qualification.
The victory marked Egypt’s first-ever World Cup knockout-stage success and boosted confidence ahead of the massive encounter with Argentina.
Attention has now shifted to the Argentina vs Egypt World Cup clash, where Messi and Salah will headline one of the tournament’s biggest fixtures.
Elsewhere, Colombia secured the final Round of 16 ticket after defeating Ghana 1-0.
Jhon Arias scored the only goal in the 14th minute to send the South American side into the next round.
Moreover, Colombia’s disciplined defensive performance ensured Ghana failed to find an equaliser despite several attacking efforts.
The victory has earned Colombia a meeting with Switzerland in Vancouver as both nations chase a place in the quarter-finals.
