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On Friday, July 3, the round of 16 bracket for the was completed with three matches that combined suffering, dominance, and a historic achievement: Egypt eliminated Australia in penalties, Argentina needed extra time to overcome Cape Verde, and Colombia secured their spot with authority against Ghana.
Egypt makes history and awaits Argentina
The biggest surprise of the day came from the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, where the Pharaohs drew 1-1 with Australia after 120 minutes and triumphed 4-2 in penalties to qualify for the Round of 16 for the first time since their World Cup debut in Italy 1934, 92 years ago.
Emam Ashour put Egypt ahead with a header, but an own goal by Mohamed Hany brought Australia back to a draw before halftime.
In the legal definition from a criminal perspective, the blunders of Harry Souttar and Lucas Herrington condemned the Socceroos, while the Africans did not miss any of their shots.
In its three previous World Cup appearances —1934, 1990, and 2018— Egypt had played seven matches without winning any, with just two draws and five losses.
The first victory in their history at a World Cup had come just on June 21, when Egypt defeated New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver. Now, the Pharaohs are awaiting the Albiceleste in the round of 16.
Argentina suffers, but Messi does not fail
The defending champion had to put in a lot of effort at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami to overcome Cabo Verde 3-2 in a match that went into extra time.
Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute —his twentieth goal in World Cup history and seventh in this tournament— solidifying his position as the top scorer of the 2026 World Cup.
Cape Verde, in its absolute debut in a World Cup, responded with goals from Deroy Duarte and Sidny Lopes Cabral to force extra time with the score tied at two.
Lisandro Martínez scored Argentina's second goal in the 92nd minute, and the final blow came in the 103rd minute with an own goal by Diney Borges following a header from Cristian Romero.
The confirmed match between Argentina and Egypt in the round of 16 pits the defending champion against the African revelation of the tournament.
Colombia leads and meets with Switzerland
In Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the team led by Néstor Lorenzo achieved an efficient victory against Ghana: Colombia won 1-0 with a goal from Jhon Arias before the quarter-hour mark, following a play set up by Luis Díaz.
The Cafeteros dominated from start to finish without experiencing any defensive scares, although they were unable to extend their lead despite creating clear chances.
The only concern was Jhon Córdoba's early injury, whose availability for the round of 16 is uncertain.
Colombia, which finished the group stage as the leader of Group K with 7 points, will face Switzerland —who eliminated Algeria 2-0 with goals from Embolo and Ndoye— on July 7 in Vancouver.
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