Defending champions Argentina face an uphill battle after falling 1-0 behind to Egypt at half-time in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash on Tuesday. Egypt produced a disciplined first-half display, while goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir emerged as the hero by denying Lionel Messi from the penalty spot.Yasser Ibrahim gives Egypt dream startEgypt made the perfect start when Yasser Ibrahim rose highest to head home in the 15th minute at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, giving the African side a shock lead against one of the tournament favourites.Argentina struggled to break down Egypt's organised defence despite dominating possession for long spells.Messi misses penaltyArgentina had a golden chance to equalise when they were awarded a penalty, but Lionel Messi's effort was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, keeping Egypt in front.Messi came close again later in the half, striking the post with a long-range free-kick. Shortly before the interval, Julián Álvarez thought he had restored parity, but Shobeir produced another excellent save to deny the striker.Argentina chasing historyArgentina arrived at the tournament hoping to become the first nation since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles.However, Lionel Scaloni's side has already survived one major scare in the knockout stage, edging past Cape Verde 3-2 after extra time in the previous round.Egypt eye another historic resultEgypt have already achieved a milestone by reaching the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 for the first time in their history after failing to progress beyond the group stage in their previous four appearances.Now, they are just 45 minutes away from pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament and securing a historic place in the quarter-finals, provided they can hold off Argentina's expected second-half fightback.Inputs from agencies