Defending World Cup champions trail Egypt at halftime in Round of 16 clash

Defending FIFA World Cup champions Argentina faced an unexpected setback on Tuesday as they trailed Egypt 1-0 at halftime in their Round of 16 encounter after a spirited first-half performance by the North African side.

Egypt took the lead in the 15th minute through defender Yasser Ibrahim, who finished off a well-worked header to give the Pharaohs an early advantage and put the reigning champions under pressure.

Argentina responded by taking control of possession and creating several scoring opportunities, but they were repeatedly denied by Egypt’s resolute defence and outstanding goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

The South Americans were handed a golden opportunity to level the score when they were awarded a penalty, but captain Lionel Messi failed to convert as Shobeir produced an excellent save to preserve Egypt’s lead.

Head coach Lionel Scaloni made tactical adjustments in a bid to spark Argentina’s attack, but Egypt remained organised at the back and frustrated every attempt by the defending champions to find an equaliser before the break.

Mohamed Salah led Egypt with composure and experience, inspiring his teammates both in attack and defence as they executed their game plan with discipline and confidence against one of the tournament favourites.

Argentina entered the knockout match expected to continue their title defence, but Egypt’s determined display exposed vulnerabilities in the champions’ lineup and gave the African side a deserved halftime advantage.

As the teams headed into the dressing room, Argentina faced the challenge of overturning the deficit to keep their World Cup title defence alive, while Egypt moved within 45 minutes of recording one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 tournament.