Egypt's World Cup journey came to a heartbreaking end on Tuesday after the Pharaohs suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16, despite holding a two-goal lead deep into the second half.
The North African side looked on course for a historic quarter-final berth after defender Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Mostafa Abdel Raouf "Zizo" doubled Egypt's advantage in the 67th minute.
However, Argentina produced a remarkable late comeback to turn the match on its head. Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute, before Lionel Messi levelled the score four minutes later to stun the Egyptian side.
With the game heading towards extra time, Enzo Fernández completed the comeback in the second minute of stoppage time, scoring a dramatic winner that sent the two-time world champions into the quarter-finals.
Argentina will now face the winner of the last-16 clash between Colombia and Switzerland, which is scheduled to take place later on Monday.
For Egypt, the defeat marked a cruel end to an impressive campaign, with the Pharaohs coming within minutes of reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in their history.
The result also leaves Morocco as Africa's only remaining representative at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Atlas Lions secured their place in the last eight with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada on Friday.
Morocco will now take on France in the quarter-finals on Thursday, as Walid Regragui's men seek to extend their historic run and keep African hopes alive in the tournament.
