Home / Sports / Argentina's Risky World Cup Reign Continues
Argentina's Risky World Cup Reign Continues
8 Jul
Summary
- Argentina twice came back from two goals down in knockout matches.
- Lionel Messi missed a penalty but scored a crucial tying goal.
- Switzerland advanced to face Argentina after a penalty shootout.

Argentina is continuing a pattern of winning World Cup knockout games by fine margins. The team became the first to overturn a two-goal deficit in the final 15 minutes of regulation in a knockout match, defeating Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday. This victory follows a previous 3-2 win against Cape Verde, which required 120 minutes of play. Argentina found itself trailing 1-0 at halftime against Egypt, despite dominating possession, and later faced a potential 3-0 deficit before VAR intervened. Lionel Messi, a key player, missed a first-half penalty but later scored a magical equalizer. The team's ability to win closely contested matches has been a recurring theme in their recent knockout round appearances. They now prepare to face Switzerland, who advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in 72 years after winning a penalty shootout against Colombia. Switzerland, known for its effective if unappealing style of play, is considered a significant underdog but possesses an experienced squad and a solid game plan, aiming to avoid folding under pressure like Egypt did. Argentina's upcoming match could potentially be a less challenging game as they aim to progress towards defending their championship title, especially given the potential for a strong crowd advantage.