ATLANTA/ARLINGTON/SEATTLE, JUL 7 (IANS): Defending champions Argentina produced a remarkable comeback from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2, while Spain and Belgium also booked their places in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals with victories over Portugal and co-hosts USA, respectively.
Argentina rally from two goals down
Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to a dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt, assisting one goal before scoring the equaliser as the defending champions overturned a two-goal deficit in the Round of 16 clash at Atlanta Stadium.
Egypt stunned the holders by taking the lead through Yasser Ibrahim in the 15th minute before Mostafa Zico doubled the advantage in the 62nd minute following a swift counterattack, putting the African side on the brink of a famous upset.
Argentina had earlier missed a golden opportunity to level the scores when goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir brilliantly saved Messi’s penalty after Nicolas Tagliafico had been brought down inside the area.
With time running out, Messi sparked Argentina’s revival by setting up Cristian Romero, who headed home in the 79th minute to reduce the deficit.
Just four minutes later, the Argentine captain restored parity when Lautaro Martinez’s delivery fell kindly for him inside the penalty area. Messi’s strike clipped the crossbar before crossing the line despite Shobeir getting a hand to the ball.
Argentina completed the remarkable turnaround in the third minute of stoppage time as Enzo Fernandez met Lautaro’s cross at the back post and guided a superb first-time finish into the far corner to seal a dramatic victory.
The result kept Argentina’s hopes of retaining the World Cup alive after they appeared destined for elimination.
Merino sends Spain past Portugal
At Arlington, Mikel Merino scored a stoppage-time winner as Spain edged Portugal 1-0 to secure a quarterfinal meeting with Belgium.
The closely contested encounter also marked the end of Cristiano Ronaldo’s illustrious World Cup career after the Portuguese captain had confirmed before the match that the tournament would be his last.
Spain created the better opportunities early on, with Mikel Oyarzabal forcing an early save from Diogo Costa, while Portugal responded through Joao Cancelo and Ronaldo, whose powerful effort was kept out by Unai Simon.
Portugal enjoyed one of their best spells before halftime when Nuno Mendes struck the crossbar and Ronaldo came close with an acrobatic effort, but neither side could break the deadlock in normal time.
The decisive moment arrived in extra time when Merino found space inside the box and calmly slotted past Costa. Portugal pushed for an equaliser, but Bernardo Silva headed narrowly wide in the closing stages as Spain held on for victory.
Belgium end USA’s dream run
In Seattle, Belgium ended co-hosts USA’s World Cup campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory to set up a quarterfinal clash against Spain.
Charles De Ketelaere starred with two first-half goals, while Hans Vanaken and substitute Romelu Lukaku also found the net as Belgium extended their impressive unbeaten run.
Belgium dominated the opening exchanges and deservedly went ahead when Leandro Trossard’s inviting cross was turned in by De Ketelaere.
The United States briefly drew level in the 31st minute through Malik Tillman, whose deflected free-kick wrong-footed Thibaut Courtois, but Belgium restored their lead less than two minutes later when De Ketelaere headed home his second goal of the night.
The hosts’ hopes faded shortly before the hour after a costly defensive error. Goalkeeper Matt Freese rushed out of his area but failed to clear the ball, allowing Belgium to capitalise as Vanaken scored into an unguarded net.
Despite late efforts from Folarin Balogun and Sebastian Berhalter, Courtois kept the Americans at bay before Lukaku completed the scoring in stoppage time after pouncing on a loose clearance.
The defeat brought an end to the USA’s campaign and confirmed the exit of all three tournament co-hosts following the earlier eliminations of Canada and Mexico. Belgium will now face Spain in the quarterfinals on July 11.