A Painting Immortalises Marmoush's Moment.. Argentina Star Celebrates the Picture that Denied Egypt the Miracle

Argentina v Egypt: Round of 16 - FIFA World Cup 2026

A picture Egypt will never forget, and one Paredes hangs in his home.

Leandro Paredes has immortalised one of the defining moments of his international career. The Argentina star has turned his decisive tackle on Omar Marmoush against Egypt at the 2026 World Cup into a work of art, one he now keeps in his home as a nod to just how much that moment meant to the "Tango" side's run through the tournament.

Camila Galante, Paredes' wife, revealed the piece among the photos she posted on social media welcoming the player home after the World Cup. In one shot, Paredes stands beside the artwork depicting his famous tackle on Marmoush.

Argentina finished as world runners-up, beaten 1-0 by Spain in the final. Yet their road there had almost come to a halt in the round of 16 against Egypt.

Deep into stoppage time, with the teams level at 2-2, Marmoush broke away on a quick counter and tried to slip a through ball to Mahmoud Hassan "Trezeguet", who was bearing down on a one-on-one with Emiliano Martinez.

Paredes read it at the last moment. He stretched out a leg to intercept the ball, then turned the attack into an Argentine counter that ended with Enzo Fernandez firing home the winner and sending the holders through to the quarter-finals.

"The Athletic" hailed the tackle as one of the most iconic defensive moments of the World Cup, arguing it mattered no less than the goals the match produced, even if it was nothing more than a single defensive intervention.

The newspaper explained that Paredes found himself the last Argentine standing against three Egyptian attackers during a lightning counter, his team-mates having surged forward chasing a winner after the equaliser.

Reading the movements of Marmoush and Trezeguet early, the Argentine midfielder retreated with measured steps as he watched the attackers, anticipated Marmoush's pass, shifted his direction at the right moment and stretched out a leg to intercept in a manner the paper called "genius".That single moment changed the entire course of the match, the newspaper confirmed. It stopped Egypt from going one-on-one with the goal in an attack that might have won it for them, and instead launched the move that ended with Fernandez's strike. The paper considered Paredes' tackle the real difference between Argentina crashing out and pressing on towards the final.Paredes refuses to apologiseParedes made headlines after the final by refusing to apologise for the clashes that followed the defeat to Spain. In his first message on Instagram, he made clear his pride in what his country's side produced during the tournament.Reports claimed he had been shown a red card over the post-match events. FIFA later removed the card from his official record, while at the same time confirming it had opened an investigation into the incidents at the end of the final.{"type":"match-schedule","data":{"matchScheduleId":"blt356b1777e78019e0"}}