Coming in, the story was

Messi is one goal from a record no one has ever held

Argentina are the defending champions, and the reason to watch them is a 38-year-old. Lionel Messi opened this tournament with a hat-trick against Algeria — his first ever at a World Cup, at an age when most players have long retired — and it pulled him level with Germany's Miroslav Klose on 16 career World Cup goals, the most anyone has scored. One more and the record is his alone. By every reasonable read, this is his last World Cup.

Getting to the last 16 wasn't clean. Argentina were taken the distance by Cape Verde, a country of half a million people at its first World Cup, and only squeezed through after a 1-1 draw. Champions rarely look this mortal this early. They did.

On the other side is a story you don't need to follow football to feel. Egypt had never won a World Cup match in their history — three appearances, not a single win — and they've now beaten Australia 5-3 to reach the knockout rounds for the first time ever. Mohamed Salah, 34 and freshly departed from Liverpool, is the one they lean on for everything. He and Messi have barely crossed paths: the two nations have met just twice, both friendlies, more than fifteen years ago. This is their first World Cup meeting, and the distance between them — champions against first-timers — is the whole point.

Golden Boot

Messi's hat-trick against Algeria drew him level with Miroslav Klose on 16 career World Cup goals, the all-time record. He needs one more to hold it outright.

Form

• Argentina won Group J behind Messi's opening hat-trick, then needed to grind past debutants Cape Verde after a 1-1 draw to reach the last 16.
• Egypt, who had never before reached a World Cup knockout stage, won a wild one 5-3 against Australia to get here.

Club mix

• Egypt's Mohamed Salah spent nine years as Liverpool's talisman and left this summer as a free agent.
• Omar Marmoush, Egypt's other attacking threat, plays for Manchester City.