Lionel Messi and Mo Salah will face each other in the World Cup’s Round of 16 as Argentina and Egypt won their respective Round of 32 matches on Friday. But that’s only half the story.
The headliner was Argentina vs. Cabo Verde in Miami in what turned out to be one of the greatest World Cup matches of all time. Lionel Messi’s 29th-minute opener was later cancelled out by Deroy Duarte’s equalizer just before the hour mark. After Lisandro Martinez put Argentina up 2-1 early in extra time, Sidny Lopez Cabral’s stunner in the 103rd minute knotted it up again before Cristian Romero’s match-winner sent La Albiceleste to the final 16 with a 3-2 win.
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That came after Egypt drew Australia 1-1 before winning 4-2 on penalties. It was a 1-0 Egypt lead before Mohamed Hany’s own goal leveled things in the 55th minute. That’s how it remained through normal time and extra time, sending it to a shootout that saw Salah the Pharaohs emerge victorious in their first-ever win in a World Cup knockout stage.
Incredibly, it’s just the second time Messi and Salah have met during their decorated careers, with both occasions coming in the UEFA Champions League. On September 16, 2015, Salah’s Roma played Messi’s FC Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico in a group stage match. Nearly three-and-a-half years later, at the Camp Nou, Messi scored a brace in a 3-0 Barcelona win over Liverpool in the first leg of the UCL semifinals.