Argentina vs Egypt Player Ratings & Match Stats: Lionel Messi 8.3/10, Mohamed Salah 6.6/10
Mark Strijbosch
What a treat the World Cup gave us today! Argentina 3-2 Egypt was nothing short of a classic, after an epic comeback by Argentina. Where to begin? Well, on the 15th minute, Egypt took the lead through Yasser Ibrahim, and the scoreline remained unchanged until the 67th minute. Mostafa Ziko then doubled the Pharaohs' lead and the world was stunned. Argentina were silenced, but World Champions do not remain down for long. Cristian Romero's finish on the 79th minute gave Argentina a foothold, and who else but Messi, scoring in his ninth consecutive World Cup match, grabbed the equaliser on the 83rd. Egypt were not done, as they failed in two penalty appeals; one would have been decisive with Salah going down, and Argentina launching a counterattack at the death. Lautaro Martinez's beautiful cross was met by the head of Enzo Fernandez, and Argentina completed the comeback in normal time. Exciting, chaotic and beautiful... just what we all wanted. What a brilliant way to score the 3000th World Cup goal!
Player Ratings
Argentina
Player Name | Rating | Description |
Emiliano Martínez | 6.4 | Quiet evening in goal; conceded twice but had limited culpability as both came from well-worked Egyptian moves. |
Nicolás Tagliafico | 6.8 | Won the penalty with a penetrating run and delivered the cross that created Álvarez's chance before departing at 66 minutes. |
Lisandro Martínez | 6.9 | Versatile display, shifting to left-back after Tagliafico's exit; won the foul that led to VAR disallowing Egypt's second. |
Cristian Romero | 7.6 | Rose superbly to head home Messi's 79th-minute cross, reducing the deficit and sparking Argentina's dramatic late comeback. |
Nahuel Molina | 6.2 | Struggled to impose himself on the right flank; lost possession sloppily and was withdrawn for Montiel at 73 minutes. |
Leandro Paredes | 6.7 | Anchored midfield with consistent distribution and tempo control; attempted a long-range strike at 53 minutes that sailed over. |
Alexis Mac Allister | 6.8 | Energetic in midfield; produced a powerful close-range header at 28 minutes that drew a spectacular save from Shobeir. |
Enzo Fernández | 8.6 | Match-winning header at 90+2' completed the comeback; showed excellent ball retention and drove Argentina forward throughout the contest. |
Rodrigo De Paul | 6.5 | Industrious before his 66th-minute substitution; had a chance ruled out for offside and shot tamely at 48 minutes. |
Julián Álvarez | 6.4 | Worked tirelessly but found clear chances elusive; drew a spectacular save from Shobeir and fired over at 43 minutes. |
Lionel Messi | 8.3 | Missed a penalty at 21 minutes but transformed the game, assisting Romero's header and equalising with a left-footed strike. |
Nico González | 6.3 | Entered at 66 minutes on the left flank; showed willingness to attack but had limited time to make significant impact. |
Lautaro Martínez | 7.2 | Impactful substitute; headed wide at 82 minutes following Messi's run but delivered the crucial assist for Fernández's winner. |
Gonzalo Montiel | 7.0 | Provided immediate impetus from 73 minutes; his delivery allowed Messi to cut inside and fire home the 83rd-minute equaliser. |
Facundo Medina | 6.0 | Introduced at 90+5' to replace Álvarez as Argentina looked to see out victory; minimal time to influence proceedings. |
Nicolás Otamendi | 6.0 | Came on at 90+5' to replace goalscorer Romero; brought experience to protect the lead with insufficient time for impact. |
Egypt
Player Name | Rating | Description |
Oufa Shobeir | 7.9 | Superb individual display; saved Messi's penalty, made spectacular stops, but conceded three late goals as Argentina's pressure told. |
Karim Hafez Ramadan Seif El Din | 6.2 | Operated at left-back throughout; contributed to defensive structure in the first half but was stretched as Argentina attacked. |
Yasser Ibrahim | 6.7 | Headed Egypt into the lead at 15 minutes from Ateya's corner delivery but was caught out for Fernández's winner. |
Ramy Rabia | 6.3 | Worked hard to organise the defensive line; recovered from a heavy fall at 48 minutes but part of late collapse. |
Mohamed Hany | 6.1 | Faced pressure from Argentina's left-sided attacks; had limited opportunities forward and spent the final third defending deep. |
Mohanad Lasheen | 6.2 | Showed industry in pressing and contributed to Egypt's shape in and out of possession; replaced by Zizo at 90+6'. |
Marwan Ateya | 6.4 | Provided the corner assist for Ibrahim's opener but his foul on Lisandro Martínez led to VAR disallowing Egypt's second. |
Emam Ashour | 5.9 | Withdrawn at half-time after signalling discomfort during the first period; unable to influence the match before early departure. |
Mohamed Salah | 6.6 | Captained Egypt and assisted the second goal with a clever pass; lost possession leading directly to Argentina's winning counter. |
Haissem Hassan | 7.1 | Egypt's most dynamic attacker before his 73rd-minute exit; won a penalty and delivered the outstanding assist for the second. |
Mostafa Mohamed Zaki Abdelraouf | 6.9 | Scored Egypt's second goal at 67 minutes from Hassan's cut-back after devastating counter; earlier had a goal disallowed by VAR. |
Hamdy Fathy | 6.1 | Replaced Ashour at half-time to shore up midfield; committed a foul on Messi and was booked during the chaotic finale. |
Mahmoud Trezeguet | 6.0 | Entered at 73 minutes for Hassan; had a shooting opportunity that went wide but unable to replicate his predecessor's impact. |
Omar Marmoush | 5.4 | Endured a difficult cameo from 80 minutes; lost possession at 91 minutes directly contributing to Argentina's decisive winning goal. |
Zizo | 5.7 | Introduced at 90+6' as Egypt desperately sought an equaliser; match concluded shortly after with minimal time for any contribution. |
