Argentina's hopes of retaining their World Cup title remain alive but have been overshadowed by controversial refereeing decisions as the holders staged a comeback win against Egypt in a tense last-16 match at Atlanta Stadium on Tuesday.

The reigning champions trailed twice before securing a 3-2 victory. Cristian Romero headed in a goal in the 79th minute to cut the deficit, and four minutes later Lionel Messi scored his eighth goal of the tournament to make it 2-2.

Enzo Fernandez sealed the win in the third minute of stoppage time, heading home a cross from Lautaro Martinez to complete a stunning turnaround of three goals in 13 minutes.

Egypt will be remembered for their valiant performance but with a sense of injustice after a VAR decision ruled out Mostafa Ziko's goal that would have made it 2-0. Commentators argued the decision was beyond VAR's remit, but IFAB rules allow review for attacking team offenses in the build-up to a goal.

After Argentina took the lead, Egypt received multiple yellow cards, including for goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, Hamdi Fathy, and Marwan Attia. Egypt also claimed a penalty and coach Hossam Hassan was booked for arguing with the referee.

Mohamed Salah's side was left in shock at the final whistle, likely marking the 35-year-old's last major tournament with Egypt. Messi, in tears, scored his 21st World Cup goal to inspire Argentina to the quarterfinals.

Source: www.aljazeera.com