'I'm really emotional': Scaloni left speechless after Argentina's epic fightback

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni struggled to contain his emotions after his side, inspired by their great skipper Lionel Messi, produced a remarkable late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 and book their place in the World Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday.

The reigning champions appeared to be heading for a stunning exit at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium after Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico gave Egypt a 2-0 lead. It stayed that way till the final phase of the game, with just 11 minutes of normal time remaining.

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But Messi sparked Argentina's revival, first setting up Cristian Romero's 79th-minute header before volleying home the equaliser four minutes later to make it 2-2 and ignite the 68,239-strong crowd.

With extra time looming, Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround in the second minute of stoppage time, heading in a dramatic winner to send Argentina through.

I always get emotional. Sometimes the tears come out. The tears came in the dressing room too. The boys even call me 'the cry baby,' but I don't care. For all of us who played soccer for 20 years, to feel what we felt today again is incredible. I think most coaches who played soccer become coaches because of days like this, because of those emotions, that adrenaline.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni

The emotional rollercoaster proved too much for Scaloni, who could barely compose himself during his post-match interview.

"I can't look up, I'm sorry. I'm really emotional right now," Scaloni said.

"What a group of players, man. That's it, I've got to go."

The dramatic victory capped another nerve-racking outing for Argentina, who had also been pushed to the limit by Cape Verde in an extra-time thriller in the Round of 32 just days earlier.

Messi's decisive contribution came despite the captain missing a first-half penalty for the second time in the tournament. Egypt also had a second-half goal ruled out following a controversial VAR decision before Argentina completed one of the competition's most memorable comebacks.

Argentina will now face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals, but for Scaloni, the immediate feeling after the final whistle was one of overwhelming pride in a team that refused to give up until the very end.