FIFA World Cup 2026 Last 16 results: Argentina stun Egypt with comeback, Switzerland beat Colombia on penalties
World Cup 2026 last 16 results: Argentina faced Egypt for a place in the quarter-finals and Switzerland took on Colombia in the last games of the second knockout round.
Argentina 3-2 Egypt
Argentina survived yet another scare to reach the World Cup quarter-finals. After finding a way to go past Cape Verde in extra time in the round of 32, the defending champions completed a comeback to beat Egypt in the last 16.
The North African side made a better start to the game in Atlanta as Argentina struggled to get going. Egypt appeared brave and ready to take on their more illustrious opponents and were rewarded in the 15th minute. Marwan Attia’s cross saw Yasser Ibrahim leap above Lisandro Martinez and head the ball into the bottom corner to give his side the lead.
Argentina had the chance to draw level six minutes later. Haissem Hassan tripped Nicolas Tagliafico just inside the box, and a penalty was awarded. Lionel Messi, leading the Golden Boot race, stepped up, but Mostafa Shobeir made a brilliant save to deny him from the spot. Shobeir then also kept out an Alexis Mac Allister header and also denied Julian Alvarez from close range, with Messi hitting the post from a free-kick in between.
The second half saw Egypt put the ball in the net again around the hour mark. Mohamed Salah teed up Mostafa Zico on the left side, and he finished past Emiliano Martínez. But a VAR check disallowed the goal after it was adjudged that Lisandro was fouled by Attia in the build-up, in what appeared to be a soft call. The Pharaohs were not to be denied.
Mo Salah charged down the center in typical fashion to lead a counter attack and fed Hassan, who provided a cross for Zico. The winger showed good control to score again and make it 2-0 in the 67th minute. Suddenly, Lionel Scaloni’s side were on the brink. But then the unthinkable happened, or perhaps it wasn’t that unthinkable to begin with.
Messi’s dangerous cross from the right-hand side was headed in by Cristian Romero in the 79th minute. Suddenly, Egypt, who had gone toe-to-toe with the South American side, decided to sit back and absorb the pressure. Four minutes later, they saw their two-goal advantage evaporate.
An attack inside the box saw the ball fall to Messi, and he powered a strike to beat Shobeir in off the crossbar to make it 2-2. There was still time for more drama.
As Egypt went forward to find a winner, Salah was brought down in the box by Alvarez, similar to what happened earlier with their ruled-out goal, but this time the referee played on. Alvarez played the ball to Lautaro Martinez, who raced down the right flank and planted a perfect cross for Enzo Fernandez to head home past a stranded Shobeir in stoppage time and give La Albiceleste a stunning win.
Tempers flared toward the end of the match, with a member of the Egyptian bench shown a red card while head coach Hossam Hassan was also booked and so was Shobeir. While they had every right to be mad at the inconsistent refereeing calls, they would still rue allowing Argentina to draw level after being two goals up with just 12 minutes of normal time left.
Switzerland 0-0 Colombia (Switzerland win 4-3 on penalties)
Switzerland progressed to the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 1954 after a penalty shootout win over Colombia in Vancouver.
Both teams had little to offer in attack in the opening 45 minutes but had a few chances. Gregor Kobel had to be alert to parry Gustavo Puerta’s curling shot, and Colombia keeper Camilo Vargas made routine saves from Fabian Rieder and Dan Ndoye.
The lack of quality play in the final third was again on show in the second half. Luis Suarez shot high after taking the ball from Granit Xhaka in the box. Juan Quintero and Jaminton Campaz looked lively for the South American team but struggled to break down Murat Yakin’s disciplined side.
The game went into extra-time and suddenly there were more chances with Los Cafeteros going close to making a breakthrough. Jhon Lucumi’s header from a corner came off the crossbar, and Campaz’s long-range attempt was kept out by Kobel. With five minutes of extra-time remaining, Campaz had a brilliant chance to win it for Colombia.
Xhaka was caught out near goal, and the ball fell to Campaz, but he skied his attempt over the bar to send the game to penalties.
Quintero beat Kobel from the spot, and Xhaka also scored to start off the shootout. However, Davinson Sanchez saw his emphatic central strike come off the crossbar. Zeki Amdouni slotted into the corner to give the Swiss an advantage. Campaz saw his effort just beat Kobel to keep Colombia ahead before Manuel Akanji blazed his kick over the bar with the shootout tied at 2-2.
Kobel then made a dive to his right to save from Cucho Hernandez, and Cedric Itten struck his shot right down the middle to put his team on the brink of progress. Luiz Diaz converted his penalty, but Ruben Vargas sent the Colombian keeper the wrong way to secure a quarter-final berth for Switzerland.
For Colombia, the exit at the last 16 stage appears to be a missed opportunity after they impressed in the tournament with their attacking flair and overall solidity. A lack of a cutting edge in front of goal in extra-time cost them the chance to leave their mark at this World Cup. For the Swiss, the win sets up a massive tie against Argentina in the last eight.
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