Lionel Messi Rescues Argentina With Late Equaliser, Becomes Leading Goal-Scorer As Defending Champions Fight Back Against Egypt | VIDEO

Lionel Messi once again came to Argentina's rescue, scoring a crucial late equaliser as the defending champions mounted a dramatic comeback against Egypt in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash in Atlanta. With the match entering its closing stages, Messi found the net to make it 2-2 after Argentina had trailed by two goals.

Messi became the leading goal-scorer of the tournament after scoring his important game in the clash against Egypt which gave the momentum for the team to go ahead and win the game for their fans.

Messi now leads the chart with 8 goals to his name, followed by France's Kylian Mbappe who is second on the list with 7 goals. Norway's Erling Haaland is third on the list with 7 goals and England skipper Harry Kane is on the fourth spot with six goals.

Egypt had stunned Argentina by taking a 2-0 lead through Yasser Ibrahim in the 15th minute and Mostafa Zico in the 67th. Argentina began their fightback when Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute before Messi struck four minutes later to restore parity and reignite his side's hopes.

The momentum swung in Argentina's favour after Messi's goal and the defending champions went on to take a 3-2 lead as the thrilling encounter entered its final moments. The match remained live at the time of writing with Argentina looking to hold on and book their place in the quarter-finals.

Messi's latest strike also strengthened his position in the race for the tournament's Golden Boot. The Argentine captain now has eight goals in the competition, putting him ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, who have seven each.