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Last Updated:July 08, 2026, 02:29 IST
The 3-2 win over Egypt on Tuesday was Argentina's first-ever victory in a FIFA World Cup match after trailing at half-time.
First time in FIFA World Cup, Argentina win a match after trailing at half-time. (Picture Credit: AP)
Argentina faced Egypt in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 match on Tuesday (July 7) at Atlanta Stadium and secured a 3-2 victory. The South American giants were trailing 0-2 until the 78th minute of the match but scored three goals over the next 14 minutes to complete a remarkable comeback and book their place in the quarterfinals.
Cristian Romero scored a header in the 79th minute to open the scoring for Argentina, and Lionel Messi then scored his eighth goal of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the 83rd minute to level the scores. Enzo Fernandez completed the comeback by scoring in the 92nd minute of the match in Atlanta.
The 3-2 win over Egypt on Tuesday was Argentina’s first-ever victory in a FIFA World Cup match after trailing at half-time.
1/9 – Argentina nunca ganó un partido de la Copa Mundial de la FIFA en el que se fue en desventaja al entretiempo (1E 9D). Sin embargo, en su único empate terminó pasando de fase (ante Italia en semifinales de Italia 1990). Mufar. pic.twitter.com/HKUDOqK0Ke— OptaJavier (@OptaJavier) July 7, 2026
In the previous 10 FIFA World Cup matches in which they went into the break behind, Argentina had managed just one draw and suffered nine defeats.
Results of Argentina’s FIFA World Cup matches when they were trailing at half-time
| AGAINST | SCORE AT HALF-TIME | FULL-TIME SCORE | RESULT | VENUE | DATE |
| West Germany | 1-2 | 1-3 | Loss | Malmö Stadion, Malmö | June 8, 1958 |
| Czechoslovakia | 0-3 | 1-6 | Loss | Olympiastadion, Helsingborg | June 15, 1958 |
| England | 0-2 | 1-3 | Loss | Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua | June 2, 1962 |
| Poland | 0-2 | 2-3 | Loss | Neckarstadion, Stuttgart | June 15, 1974 |
| Netherlands | 0-2 | 0-4 | Loss | Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen | June 26, 1974 |
| Brazil | 0-1 | 1-3 | Loss | Sarrià Stadium, Barcelona | July 2, 1982 |
| Italy | 0-1 | 1-1 | Won (4-3) in penalty shootout | Stadio San Paolo, Naples | July 3, 1990 |
| Romania | 1-2 | 2-3 | Loss | Rose Bowl, Pasadena | July 3, 1994 |
| England | 0-1 | 0-1 | Loss | Sapporo Dome, Sapporo | June 7, 2002 |
| Germany | 0-1 | 0-4 | Loss | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town | July 3, 2010 |
| Egypt | 0-1 | 3-2 | Win | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | July 7, 2026 |
The 3-2 victory over Egypt also marked the first time in FIFA World Cup history that Argentina had won a match after falling 0-2 behind.
In the previous nine FIFA World Cup matches in which they conceded the opening two goals, Argentina had gone on to lose every time.
Argentina were 2-0 down and heading out. They have lost all 13 of their previous World Cup games when trailing by at least two goals.Then Lionel Messi took charge. He now has the most assists in World Cup history (9) and extended his record goal total (21) to make it 2-2. pic.twitter.com/Y2pOois9jL
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) July 7, 2026
Results of Argentina’s FIFA World Cup matches when they conceded the first two goals of a match
| AGAINST | SCORELINE | RESULT | VENUE | DATE |
| Czechoslovakia | 1-6 | Loss | Olympiastadion, Helsingborg | June 15, 1958 |
| England | 1-3 | Loss | Estadio El Teniente, Rancagua | June 2, 1962 |
| Poland | 2-3 | Loss | Neckarstadion, Stuttgart | June 15, 1974 |
| Netherlands | 0-4 | Loss | Parkstadion, Gelsenkirchen | June 26, 1974 |
| Italy | 1-2 | Loss | Sarrià Stadium, Barcelona | June 29, 1982 |
| Brazil | 1-3 | Loss | Sarrià Stadium, Barcelona | July 2, 1982 |
| Bulgaria | 0-2 | Loss | Cotton Bowl, Dallas | June 30, 1994 |
| Germany | 0-4 | Loss | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town | July 3, 2010 |
| Croatia | 0-3 | Loss | Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod | June 21, 2018 |
| Egypt | 3-2 | Win | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta | July 7, 2026 |
Messi breaks Maradona’s record
In Argentina’s 3-2 win over Egypt, Messi scored one goal and provided one assist. The assist, which came in the 79th minute of the match, helped him take his tally to nine assists in FIFA World Cup history.
Messi, who already tops the list of players with the most goals in FIFA World Cup history, now also leads the all-time list of players with the most assists in the tournament. He has provided one more assist in FIFA World Cup history than second-placed Diego Maradona.
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About the Author
Harshit BishtSenior Sub-editor
Harshit Bisht is a sports journalist at CNN-News18, where he has been covering cricket, football, and major sporting events from around the world since July 1, 2024. Driven by a passion for storytelli...Read More
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