- 2026 FIFA World Cup: Messi Retakes Golden Boot Lead as Argentina Stage Stunning Comeback to Eliminate Egypt
Lionel Messi reclaimed sole leadership of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot race after inspiring defending champions Argentina to an extraordinary 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in a thrilling Round of 16 encounter in Atlanta on Tuesday.
Messi scored his 21st career World Cup goal and eighth of the tournament to move ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot, while leading Argentina into the quarter-finals, where they will face Colombia.
The dramatic victory also extended Argentina’s hopes of retaining the World Cup title after they recovered from two goals down with just 11 minutes remaining.
Egypt stunned the reigning champions with an energetic display and took the lead in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim powered home a header from Marwan Attia’s pinpoint cross.
Argentina had the perfect opportunity to equalise four minutes later after Nicolas Tagliafico was fouled inside the penalty area, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir brilliantly saved Messi’s penalty. The miss made Messi the first player to miss two penalties in a single World Cup tournament after also failing from the spot during the group stage.
Shoubir continued his heroics by producing outstanding saves to deny Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi struck the post with a curling free-kick as Egypt carried their slender advantage into the break.
Egypt thought they had doubled their lead shortly after the restart through Mostafa Zico, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review. Their disappointment was short-lived, however, as Zico found the net moments later after Mohamed Salah launched a swift counterattack and Haissem Hassan delivered a perfect cutback.
At 2-0 down, Argentina appeared destined for one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history.
Instead, Lionel Scaloni’s men produced a remarkable fightback.
Cristian Romero gave Argentina hope in the 79th minute when he headed home from Messi’s inviting cross to reduce the deficit.
Four minutes later, Messi brought Argentina level after substitutes Lautaro Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel kept the attack alive, smashing home to send the Argentine supporters into celebration while moving clear at the top of the Golden Boot standings with eight goals.
Deep into stoppage time, Argentina completed the turnaround. Lautaro Martinez raced down the right before delivering an excellent cross for Enzo Fernandez, who calmly headed beyond Shoubir to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory.
The final whistle sparked emotional scenes as Messi broke down in tears after leading yet another unforgettable Argentina comeback.
Fernandez praised the team’s resilience after booking their place in the last eight.
“I’d been longing for this goal for three years. We have a phenomenal group that never gives up. We took advantage of the spaces they left us and achieved what we came here to do—represent our country with pride,” he said.
Egypt, despite their heartbreaking exit, earned admiration for pushing the world champions to the brink. Shoubir was one of the standout performers of the match, while Salah, Hassan and Zico consistently troubled Argentina’s defence.
“The victory was within our reach,” Shoubir said after the match. “We were only missing a few small details. Everyone saw how close we came, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.”
Argentina now march into the quarter-finals full of confidence, with Messi once again proving decisive. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner not only kept his country’s World Cup dream alive but also reclaimed the outright lead in the race for the tournament’s Golden Boot.
