Tuesday was a tale of two distinct games at the FIFA World Cup.
Argentina and Egypt went toe-to-toe in a five-goal thriller that left neutral fans wanting more – nobody would have complained if it went to extra time. Contrast that with the dour goal-less affair between Switzerland and Colombia that forced fans to sit through an interminable 30 minutes (after 90 minutes of regulation that didn’t set heart rates racing) and a penalty shootout.
Canada also bid adieu as Vancouver held the final match of the tournament on Canadian soil. Of the 16 host cities, none was more welcoming, offered more amazing scenery or embodied the festive atmosphere of the World Cup better than Vancouver.
Here’s what happened as the round of 16 came to a conclusion on Tuesday.
Never count out Lionel Messi and Argentina
What happened in Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon will go down as one of the greatest comebacks of this or any other World Cup, even impressing NFL legend Tom Brady
— perhaps the ultimate expert on come-from-behind efforts.
Egypt jumped out to a deserved 2-0 lead after 67 minutes, buoyed by goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico, and Mostafa Shobeir’s penalty save on Lionel Messi. The flying Pharaohs even overcame a controversial VAR decision that saw one of their goals taken off the scoreboard, pushing the defending World Cup champions to the brink of elimination.
But what did Messi and Argentina do? What they always do. They fought their way back, never giving up hope, and always believing there was a way for them to get back into the game. Cristian Romero’s goal in the 79th minute gave the South Americans a lifeline and Messi’s equalizer just four minutes later, scored off a fabulous finish from inside the box.
That’s when Egypt’s hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals were instantly grounded into dust. There was no way back for Mohamed Salah and his cohorts. Argentina was in the ascendancy and their comeback was inevitable. Enzo Fernández’s injury-time winner simply made it official and kept Argentina on track to become the first men’s team to repeat as World Cup champions since Brazil won in 1958 in Sweden and again in 1962 in Chile.
Colombia’s loss underlines European dominance
Ranked No. 13 in the world, Colombia entered Tuesday’s round of 16 clash against No. 19 Switzerland as the favourite at BC Place before a largely pro-Colombian crowd. But it was the Swiss who held their nerve in a game that neither team seemed terribly intent on winning as both sides took a conservative approach and never really went for it.
One shouldn’t be too surprised by the Swiss – they play a pragmatic game. But what brought Colombia to the dance was a bristling attack that produced 28 goals in the gruelling South American qualifiers – led by Bayern Munich’s Luis Diaz. Why they were suddenly guided by fear rather than bravery is anybody’s guess, but it ended up costing them in the end.
Switzerland’s penalty shootout win means six European teams are through to the quarterfinals. South America and Africa each have one representative. Concacaf, Asia, and Oceania were shut out completely. The way the quarterfinals are set up, we’re guaranteed to have at least two European nations in the semifinals – and don’t be surprised if there are three (or even four).
As much as some fans and pundits might not want to hear this, Europe remains the dominant power at the World Cup. Talk of the European empire crumbling was premature, even when nine of the 10 African nations qualified for the round of 32.
A fabulous counter-attack goal in injury time sealed the amazing comeback win for Argentina. Julián Álvarez played a ball from inside his half that sent Lautaro Martinez down the right wing. The Inter Milan forward slowed things down before playing a gorgeous, pinpoint cross into the box where Enzo Fernández outjumped an Egyptian defender and connected on a header that nestled into the far corner.
It might be time for Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni to have a frank discussion with Lionel Messi about someone else taking penalties going forward:
Sportsnet’s James Sharman asks a pertinent question:
What a way for Vancouver to say goodbye to the World Cup:
1. Lionel Messi (Argentina): Yes, he missed from the penalty spot. But the GOAT rebounded by setting up Cristian Romero’s goal and then scored the equalizer in spectacular fashion.
2. Enzo Fernández (Argentina): The Chelsea midfielder scored the dramatic injury-time winner to seal an improbable comeback for his country. Also completed 94 percent of his passes in helping to drive Argentina’s attack forward
3. Mostafa Shobeir (Egypt): The Egyptian goalkeeper was outstanding in a losing effort, making seven saves – including a stop on Lionel Messi from the penalty spot in the first half.
Editor’s note
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.