On July 7, Argentina pulled off one of the more dramatic comebacks in recent World Cup memory, erasing a 2-0 deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 in the round of 16. But the scoreline wasn’t the image that traveled fastest across social media. That distinction belongs to the footage of Palestinians in Gaza, huddled together on the rubble of destroyed buildings, watching the match on makeshift screens.
The match itself was a classic
Egypt came out swinging. Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring in the 15th minute, and for most of the match, the Egyptian side looked like they might pull off one of the tournament’s great upsets against the defending 2022 champions.
Mostafa Zico doubled the lead in the 67th minute, and at that point, Argentina’s tournament life was flashing before its eyes. Down 2-0 with less than 25 minutes to play, the math was brutal.
Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute, and Messi equalized in the 83rd. The comeback was capped by Enzo Fernandez, who buried the winner in the second minute of stoppage time. Argentina advances to the quarterfinals. Egypt goes home.
