Argentina trails Egypt 1-0 at halftime in the round of 16 at the World Cup
ATLANTA -- Defending champion Argentina trailed Egypt 1-0 at halftime in the round of 16 of the World Cup on Tuesday.
Yasser Ibrahim scored with a header in the 15th minute to give Egypt a surprise lead at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Lionel Messi missed the chance to level the match when his penalty was saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.
Messi also hit the post with a long-range free kick and Julian Alvarez thought he had put Argentina back into the match shortly before the break but his effort was pushed away by Shobeir.
Argentina is bidding to become the first back-to-back World Cup champion since Brazil in 1958 and '62.
The three-time champions were given a scare by Cape Verde in the last round, needing extra time to win 3-2.
Egypt has already made history by advancing to the round of 16 for the first time, having failed to get beyond the group stage on its four previous appearances.
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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
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