Heartbreak in Atlanta
Omar Marmoush's World Cup adventure with Egypt came to a cruel end on Tuesday night as Argentina staged a remarkable late turnaround to snatch victory in Atlanta.
The defending champions looked dead and buried after falling two goals behind, but a dramatic final 11 minutes flipped the tie on its head and sent Egypt crashing out of the tournament.
Yasser Ibrahim had given Egypt the lead by beating Lisandro Martínez to an early header, and Mostafa Zico doubled the advantage after a VAR check ruled out an earlier effort. Argentina were staring elimination in the face.
Lionel Messi then saw a first-half penalty saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir — the 39-year-old's second missed spot-kick of the competition after a similar failure against Austria. Things were not going to plan for the world champions.
The Turnaround
With 11 minutes left on the clock, Cristian Romero sparked the revival by nodding home an unmarked header from close range. Messi quickly made amends for his earlier miss by smashing in his 21st career World Cup goal to level the scores.
Then came the chaos. The Egyptian bench erupted in fury after a penalty shout for a foul on Mohamed Salah was waved away. Argentina broke at speed, and Lautaro Martínez's cross was headed home by Enzo Fernández in the 92nd minute.
The goal was officially recognised as the 3,000th in World Cup history — a grim milestone for Egypt, whose resilient campaign ended in the cruellest fashion.
Argentina now face either Colombia or Switzerland in the quarter-finals. For Marmoush and his teammates, there is only the what-ifs and the long journey home.