Lionel Messi and Argentina overcame their biggest hurdle in Egypt in one of the most dramatic fashions. Registering a 3-2 after coming back from a two-goal deficit, it was Lionel Messi who led the charge for Argentina, helping them register a brilliant victory.
The two sides met at the Atlanta Stadium on July 7th, and while many anticipated Argentina to dominate and roll Egypt in the game, however, Mohamed Salah’s Egypt put forth an exceptional performance in the game.
Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring in the 15th minute. Furthermore, Egypt rubbed salt into the wounds as Mostafa Ziko scored the second goal of the game in the 67th minute.
With Egypt leading by two goals, it was Lionel Messi’s brilliance that propelled Argentina back into the game. Providing an assist for Argentina’s first goal and scoring the second goal, Messi equalised for the defending champions within minutes.
Furthermore, Enzo Fernandes scored a towering header with minutes left on the clock as Argentina pulled off a miraculous comeback to take the win away from Egypt and register a 3-2 victory.
What did Lionel Scaloni say before the clash against Egypt?
Before the clash against Egypt, Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni took centre stage and slammed the schedule for his side. He opined that, with the tournament coming to an end, the players need more rest, and the opposite is happening with them.
"As you get closer to the end, with more matches played, you need more rest, yet the opposite is happening. We played in Miami the other day in that heat and now we're playing tomorrow at noon. The rest period isn't ideal,” Scaloni said in the pre-game press conference.
"I think Egypt has had a few more hours (to recover), not a huge difference, but I believe that as the World Cup reaches its final stages, rest becomes even more crucial,” he added.
With Argentina having won the game, the side has qualified for the quarter-finals, and the defending champions will hope to put in a good showing in the upcoming game as well.
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