Defending champion Argentina scored three times after the 78th minute, fueling a ferocious comeback in a 3-2 win over Egypt in their round of 16 World Cup match on Tuesday afternoon in Atlanta.

After La Albiceleste scored their first two goals in a four-minute span to rally from a 2-0 deficit, Enzo Fernandez delivered the game-winner on a header from the edge of the 6-yard box off a long cross from Lautaro Martinez.

Lionel Messi scored the tying goal in the 83rd minute, four minutes after Cristian Romero got Argentina on the board with a headed goal off an assist from Messi.

Messi ran onto a pass from Gonzalo Montiel after a chaotic sequence in the box and lasered a shot that eluded Egyptian keeper Mostafa Shoubir.

Messi’s record 21st all-time World Cup goal was his eighth of the tournament, moving him atop the Golden Boot leaderboard. He has scored in a record nine straight World Cup matches.

The comeback marked Argentina’s first in the World Cup knockout round since a 2-1 extra-time defeat of Mexico in 2006.

The win, which extended Argentina’s World Cup unbeaten run to 11 matches, sets them up to face Switzerland in a quarterfinal on Saturday at Kansas City, Mo. Switzerland defeated Colombia on penalties later Tuesday.

Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Mostafa Zico gave Egypt a 2-0 edge in the 67th. But after Shoubir made four saves to preserve the Pharaohs’ early advantage, he allowed goals on the final three shots on goal he faced.

After a back-and-forth opening, Egypt jumped ahead on a leaping header in the box by Ibrahim. That put Argentina behind in a World Cup match for the first time since their last World Cup loss in their 2022 opener against Saudi Arabia.

It seemed that lead was going to be short-lived when Nicolas Tagliafico drew a penalty four minutes later. But Messi failed to deliver when his penalty kick was stopped by Shoubir, who dove to his left to make the save.

Messi became the first player to ever miss multiple PKs at the same World Cup. He also hit the post on a free kick in the 31st minute.

After a foul well earlier in a play erased Egypt’s second goal in the 59th minute, the Pharaohs converted another counterattacking opportunity eight minutes later.

Haissem Hassan’s pass across the edge of the 6-yard box found Zico, who buried it past Emiliano Martinez to give Egypt a 2-0 lead in the 67th minute.

–Field Level Media