Atlanta [US], July 8 : Enzo Fernandez, the Argentina and Chelsea star who nailed the winning goal in stoppage time for the defending champions in their come-from-behind 3-2 win over Egypt to seal a quarterfinal spot, admitted that the goal was the "most important of his career".
After being down 2-0 in the 67th minute, goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and eventually a stoppage-time killer blow from Fernandez saved Argentina's sinking FIFA World Cup campaign, keeping their dreams of making it back-to-back alive days after surviving a humdinger against debutants Cabo Verde, which also ended with the same scoreline and was stretched till the 120th minute.
Fernandez bagged the 'Best Young Player Award' in his side's title win at Qatar in 2022 and had scored in his side's 2-0 win over Mexico. He had not played a role in the tournament this year till yet and in his first appearance, he left the field with a goal that his countrymen would remember for ages.
Speaking after the match, he said, as quoted by FIFA, "It is the most important goal of my career. It is first, and the second is the Mexico one. I have been longing for this goal for about three years, ever since the World Cup in Qatar. To be able to experience moments like this -- honestly, I thank God. I feel privileged."
Fernandez made an impact in the third minute of stoppage time with a powerful header after a cross from Lautaro Martinez, sending the Argentina crowd into a frenzy. Fernandez admitted when the ball went in, he thought of his whole family watching from the stands, the fans at the stadium and back home.
"Honestly, my heart was filled with emotion and pride. We know that all Argentines are rooting for us, and that is absolutely crucial for us," he added.
The character, big match pedigree and class shown by Argentina was remarkable, and so was Fernandez' goal statistically, going down as the tournament's 3000th goal in its rich history, which will complete a century in the 2030 edition.
"I want to praise my teammates: we have a phenomenal group-- a group that never gives up and has tremendous quality, no matter the difficulties or adversity. We're always united," said Fernandez.
Coming to the match, Egypt stunned Argentina in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from Marwan Attia's corner. Argentina had an immediate chance to respond after Nicolas Tagliafico won a penalty, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir denied Lionel Messi from the spot.
Shobeir continued his impressive display by saving efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi also struck the crossbar with a free-kick as Egypt held a 1-0 lead at half-time.
Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage early in the second half through Mostafa Ziko, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review. The Pharaohs were not to be denied for long, however, as Ziko finished off a swift counterattack in the 67th minute after good work from Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan to make it 2-0.
Argentina responded with renewed urgency after introducing attacking reinforcements. Cristian Romero reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, heading in Messi's inviting free-kick.
Just four minutes later, Messi levelled the contest with a powerful strike from the edge of the box that found the net after clipping the goalkeeper's gloves and the underside of the crossbar.
With extra time looming, Argentina completed their remarkable turnaround in stoppage time. A loose ball fell kindly to Enzo Fernandez on the edge of the penalty area, and the midfielder calmly slotted a low finish into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory. The win sends Argentina into the quarter-finals, where they will face the winners of the Round of 16 clash between Switzerland and Colombia on July 8.