World Cup 2026: Argentina seems to recover from the scare in Cape Verde against disciplined Egypt

Both Argentina and Egypt needed 120 grueling minutes to survive their first knockout matches and had just four days to recover before meeting for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals. For Argentina, that brief turnaround brought a bit more unrest after Lionel Scaloni’s side, who breezed through the group stages, emerged within minutes of a seismic upset before finishing 3-2 at Cabo Verde after extra time. Egypt, meanwhile, is here after beating Australia 4-2 (1-1 after extra time) on penalties.

Scaloni did not hide his frustration with the scheduling after the win in Miami. «Now let’s rest. I don’t know how the World Cup works, but we had six days and now we have three and a half. When you need the rest the most, you have the least,» he said, after several Argentine players ended the match with cramps.

The holders looked vulnerable for the first time against Cape Verde, unable to control the match as in the group stage and repeatedly exposed in transition, even though Lionel Messi still found time to score his twentieth World Cup goal.

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The Latin American team’s discomfort with physicality will hearten Egypt, which under Hossam Hassan has been built on defensive discipline and quick breakthroughs through Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush. “We are not concentrating on Messi,” said assistant coach Ibrahim Hassan. «They may have Messi, but in Egypt we have Mohamed Salah and we have 26 Messis ourselves.»

The tactical contrast is clear. Argentina will try to reassert control in midfield and could bring in Leandro Paredes to strengthen the internal channels and support Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister, while Egypt will be in a compact block and wait a few moments to release Salah and Marmoush in the spaces, following the blueprint found by Cabo Verde.

For Egypt, Ahmed El Fotouh, Karim Hafez and Mohamed Abdelmonem are racing against the clock to recover from knocks, while Argentina may bring Nicolas Tagliafico back to the left of the defense ahead of Facundo Medina.

Scaloni is expected to remain true to the same core, but after 120 exhausting minutes, Atlanta can reveal whether Friday was just a stumble or the first real crack in the champions’ defense.

Published on July 6, 2026