Who Is Mostafa Shobeir? Egypt Goalkeeper Who Stopped Lionel Messi's Penalty In FIFA World Cup Round Of 16
Most fans present at Atlanta Stadium on Tuesday expected a Lionel Messi show, yet in the first half of the Argentina vs Egypt FIFA World Cup 2026 match, they witnessed a brave fight from the latter in a Round of 16 clash
- Egypt led Argentina 1-0 at halftime in the World Cup Round of 16 match
- Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir saved a penalty from Lionel Messi during the match
- Shobeir is the only goalkeeper to save two penalties in the same World Cup edition
Most fans present at Atlanta Stadium on Tuesday expected a Lionel Messi show, yet in the first half of the Argentina vs Egypt FIFA World Cup 2026 match, they witnessed a brave fight from the latter in a Round of 16 clash. Egypt stunned the defending champions in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim gave his team the lead. Within six minutes, Argentina had the chance to equalise, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir had other ideas. He judged Messi's shot perfectly and leapt in the right direction to make the save.
All You Need To Know About Mostafa Shobeir
Mostafa Shobeir, 26, plays for Egyptian club Al Ahly. Shobeir was called up to the Egypt squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. He is Egypt's first-choice goalkeeper for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. His father, Ahmed Shobair, was part of the Egypt team that played in the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Mostafa Shobeir is now the only goalkeeper in FIFA World Cup 2026 to save two penalties in the same edition (excluding shootouts). He joined Jan Tomaszewski (1974), Brad Friedel (2002), and Wojciech Szczesny (2022) in an elite club.
Defending champions 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 brought 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 1962.
The three-time champions were given a scare by Cape Verde in the previous round, needing extra time to secure a 3-2 victory.
Egypt has already made history by advancing to the Round of 16 for the first time, having failed to progress beyond the group stage in its four previous appearances.
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