Day 27: Argentina Escape, the Hosts Fall, and Switzerland Hold Their Nerve

The round of 16 went out with a gasp. Three ties closed the last-16 schedule on Tuesday, and by the end of the night the bracket had a shape — and a couple of scars. The reigning champions came within twelve minutes of the airport before turning their tie on its head; the co-hosts’ home tournament ended in a hail of Belgian goals and one loud off-field row; and Vancouver’s stalemate was settled, inevitably, from twelve yards. The 48-team field is down to eight, and it’s a good eight.

Argentina 3–2 Egypt: never, ever write off Messi

For nearly 80 minutes in Atlanta, Argentina were going home. Egypt led 2–0, defended with real discipline, and stood on the edge of the first quarter-final in their history. Then the sky fell in on the Pharaohs.

Yasser Ibrahim had headed Egypt in front on 15 minutes, powering home Marwan Attia’s cross. Six minutes later Argentina had the chance to level when Nicolás Tagliafico was upended in the box — and Lionel Messi’s penalty was pushed away low to his left by Mostafa Shobeir. It was, per ESPN, Messi’s second miss of this World Cup after failing against Austria in the group stage, making him the first player to miss two penalties in a single tournament and taking him to four failures in eight non-shootout World Cup spot-kicks. When Mostafa Ziko swept in Haissem Hassan’s low cross on 67 minutes — after VAR had earlier chalked off a Ziko goal for an Attia foul on Lisandro Martínez — the escape looked complete.

It wasn’t. Cristian Romero glanced in a Messi delivery on 79 minutes, Messi himself lashed the equaliser four minutes later after substitute Gonzalo Montiel teed him up, and in the second minute of stoppage time Enzo Fernández rose to head the winner — laid on by fellow replacement Lautaro Martínez, both of them Lionel Scaloni gambles that paid off. Al Jazeera noted it was a ninth straight World Cup game with a goal for Messi, who leads the race for the Golden Boot on eight and left the pitch in tears.

Egypt left seething. Boss Hossam Hassan told BBC Sport his side had “suffered injustice,” pointing at the disallowed goal and a waved-away shout for a foul on Mohamed Salah moments before the winner: “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.” A member of his staff was sent off after the final whistle. Scaloni, unsurprisingly, saw it differently. “When things aren’t going your way, there isn’t just one way to win,” he said (ESPN). “It takes grit, intensity, guts.” If you want the wiring behind VAR and the tournament’s officiating tweaks, it’s worth a read after a night like this.

USA 1–4 Belgium: co-hosts undone as De Ketelaere runs riot

The United States came into Monday night in Seattle carrying a nation’s hopes and, thanks to a strange week, a reinstated striker. Charles De Ketelaere carried them straight back out.

The Belgium forward tapped in Nicolas Raskin’s cross after nine minutes, and although Malik Tillman equalised on 31 with a deflected free-kick — his second set-piece goal of the tournament, making him the first player with two free-kick goals at a single World Cup since France’s Bernard Genghini in 1982 (Sporting News) — the parity lasted 61 seconds. De Ketelaere climbed above Tim Ream to restore the lead, and Mauricio Pochettino’s frustration boiled over into a kicked drinks rack on the touchline. Hans Vanaken, on early for the injured Amadou Onana, punished a horrible Matt Freese error on 57 minutes, and Romelu Lukaku — a substitute, 12 years on from his 2014 winner against the same opponents — rounded it off in stoppage time.

De Ketelaere finished with two goals and an assist, the first Belgian on record directly involved in three goals in a single World Cup match (FotMob). Rudi Garcia’s gamble to bench Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku looked inspired; De Bruyne never got off the bench. Belgium stretched their unbeaten run to 18 (ESPN) and booked a last-eight date with Spain.

For the Americans, it was a seventh straight defeat to Belgium since 1930 and a first World Cup without a quarter-final since 2002. Much of the pre-match noise was off the pitch: Folarin Balogun only started because FIFA had lifted his one-match ban — earned for a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32 — after US President Donald Trump publicly urged a review, a reprieve slammed by players and pundits alike (Al Jazeera, Sporting News). Balogun drew a roar from the 67,000 but couldn’t change the story, and the USA follow fellow hosts Canada and Mexico out of their own party. The off-pitch storylines of this tournament keep writing themselves.

Switzerland 0–0 Colombia (4–3 pens): Kobel the difference

If Atlanta was chaos, Vancouver was a stalemate — FotMob logged it as the stingiest normal-time game of the tournament so far, and the site’s own tracker had the pair at a combined 0.31 expected goals across 120 minutes (0.06 for Switzerland, 0.25 for Colombia). Gustavo Puerta’s early curler drew a save from Gregor Kobel; Fabian Rieder and Dan Ndoye tested Camilo Vargas; and in extra time Colombia twice went close, Jhon Lucumí heading against the bar and Jáminton Campaz firing over with only the keeper to beat after a Granit Xhaka slip.

So, penalties. Colombia went first and Juan Fernando Quintero scored; Xhaka answered. Then Davinson Sánchez smacked the bar, Zeki Amdouni and Campaz traded successful kicks, and Manuel Akanji blazed over to level the miss count — before Kobel produced the decisive stop, diving to deny Cucho Hernández. Cédric Itten and Luis Díaz kept it tense at 3–3 until Rubén Vargas rolled his kick into the bottom corner as Camilo Vargas went the wrong way. Switzerland 4, Colombia 3.

It puts Switzerland in the quarter-finals for the first time since they hosted the tournament in 1954, and marks the first time they’ve won two knockout games at a single World Cup (ESPN, The Hindu) — all achieved without injured breakout star Johan Manzambi. “They had the crowd on their side, so it was a tough game for us,” said Kobel, whose side had also beaten Canada and Algeria at BC Place. Colombia, out on penalties for a second straight World Cup appearance, were gutted. “The dream was enormous,” midfielder Jhon Arias told ESPN. “The country believed in us — that only makes the pain greater.”

The last eight is set — and two of tonight’s winners collide

With the round of 16 done, the bracket locks in. Belgium’s reward is Spain — the 2010 champions who ended Cristiano Ronaldo’s international career on Monday — in Los Angeles on Friday. And in the tie of the round, two of Tuesday’s survivors meet: Argentina, forever living dangerously, face Switzerland’s resolute rearguard, with the reigning champions heading to Kansas City. France’s meeting with Morocco opens the quarter-finals on Thursday, and Norway play England on Saturday.

Egypt and Colombia go home wondering what might have been, while the USA, Canada and Mexico watch the rest as hosts rather than contenders. From here it only gets tighter. Follow every kick, live, at whatsthescore.football — full fixtures and standings included.

Argentina 3–2 Egypt: never, ever write off Messi

USA 1–4 Belgium: co-hosts undone as De Ketelaere runs riot

Switzerland 0–0 Colombia (4–3 pens): Kobel the difference

The last eight is set — and two of tonight’s winners collide

Sources