Why Cristian Romero's Argentina display vs Egypt will leave Tottenham fans confused

Lionel Messi will take the plaudits, but it was Tottenham's Cristian Romero who gave Argentina hope to begin with against Egypt.

The Spurs centre-back was on the verge of being knocked out of the World Cup, but stepped up to kickstart one of the most remarkable comebacks against Egypt as his side won 3-2 on Tuesday evening.

The Pharaohs were 2-0 up with 12 minutes to go and Argentina looked all but out until Romero stepped up to the plate.

His powerful header put the South Americans firmly back in the race, until Messi did what Messi does best.

However, the actions of the defender must not go under the radar.

If it were not for his efforts over the full 90 minutes, there would be a completely different story being told about his Argentine career.

How Cristian Romero is becoming Argentine legend

Romero's exploits at Tottenham have earned him plenty of praise but at the international level, he may quickly be growing in stature.

If Argentina make it back-to-back World Cups, his goal against Egypt will be looked back upon as one of the most defining moments of the tournament.

And his overall performance was certainly excellent.

According to FotMob, who handed Romero an 8.1 rating, his performance was certainly all action.

On top of his goal, he kept a 94 per cent passing accuracy and made seven passes into the final third.

Defensively, he was the Romero that Tottenham fans have come to know. He made four clearances and won three tackles.

Romero also completed two interceptions and made seven recoveries.

If it was not for his actions, the reigning World champions may already been booking their flights home.

Why Argentine media's reaction will have Tottenham fans confused

The 2022 World Cup champions will take much of the news coverage of the 2026 edition in the coming days and rightfully so.

In Argentina, TYC Sports gave Romero an 8/10 rating for his display, stating: "With no major problems in the air and excellent anticipation, he controlled his area flawlessly.

"When the pressure was on, his fighting spirit emerged, that voracious hunger for victory, and he took the team on his shoulders to start the comeback. What a champion, brother."

Buenos Aires Times have also hailed Romero for being the main man as Argentine "hauled themselves off the canvas".

However, while the Argentine media have pointed out that fighting spirit, Tottenham fans will certainly question where that was last season.

While Spurs ultimately survived the relegation battle, Romero was not involved in the run of form that proved to be the difference maker.

And throughout most of the season failed to bring that spirit to hand Spurs much-needed points.