Yes, you read that right!
These two teams have never met in a World Cup match before.
The mystique of the Egyptians facing Latin pizzazz.
Argentina and Egypt played one friendly back in 2008, and the former won by two goals to nil.
Egypt is now a North African powerhouse, securing two victories in the running World Cup, beating both New Zealand and Australia.
Pharaohs dominate the Antipodes could be an apt description.
Egypt played well but if one has seen the Egypt vs Iran match then s/he will agree that Iran was also in tremendous form despite facing countless hurdles and coming to the World Cup with the clouds of an ongoing war.
Like I said earlier, luck is always a deciding factor.
Argentina is a giant team and touted to be one of the favourites to move to the final so let’s talk a little about Egypt first.
Interestingly, this is their fourth World Cup, but their first one was in 1934 where they lost to Hungary.
Then came a massive absence with the team making a comeback in 1990.
That year, Egypt drew with The Netherlands and Republic of Ireland but to England by a lone goal.
Not a bad record for a team which had to wait so long.
Coming back in 2018, the Pharaohs lost all three group matches although Salah showed his brilliance.
This time though, they are in the round of 16 – a remarkable achievement indeed.
Can they move forward and chalk out an exit for Argentina?
Actually, if you ask that question in a public space, the reaction may not be friendly – Argentina supporters cannot discuss ‘what if’ scenarios and will only engage if you start with the assertion of a certain win.
Anyway, from the Cape Verde match it was evident that scoring against the world champions is not impossible.
Egypt can take inspiration from them and take the field to send a shockwave across the world.
Honestly speaking, if the Pharaohs win, world football order will be shaken.
Nothing is impossible.
So far, Argentine talisman Messi has proved he has come to the World Cup to make a point.
But again, Argentina’s move forward has been relatively smooth while the opponents so far were not major footballing powers.
For arguments sake, if we take it that the Albiceleste will win then in the semis, the other side will be another titan.
How Argentina tackles a massive challenge after relatively plain sailing is something to watch.
In the end, the truth is, once Argentina and Brazil are out, the World Cup frenzy in Bangladesh and other South Asian nations drops drastically.
As long as one of these sides is alive, the tournament will carry its allure, jerseys will see soaring sale, large screens will be set up at intersections and feverish debates will occupy evening chinwags across the country.
Sadly, Brazil is already out and only the other Latin side remains.
Gut feeling?
Argentina should go through!
