Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni held back his tears and struggled to contain his intense emotion after the thrilling and dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup finals.
In brief remarks following the meeting held on Tuesday, Scaloni, fighting back tears, said: "I am very moved tonight."
The Argentine coach added briefly: "I can't talk now, I'm sorry... I'm completely overwhelmed with emotion."
But Scaloni did not forget to praise his players, saying: "All I can say is that our team is fantastic... I ask your permission to leave now."
The Argentine national team had turned a two-goal deficit against Egypt into a thrilling 3-2 victory in the final moments of the match, sparking a storm of widespread refereeing controversy, amid strong accusations against FIFA of favoring Argentine star Lionel Messi to ensure the defending champion's continued participation in the tournament for purely marketing and commercial purposes.
With this qualification, Argentina will meet Switzerland in the quarter-finals, after Switzerland also secured their passage by defeating Colombia on penalties.
