Lionel Messi had the chance to draw Argentina level before half-time when he stepped up to take a penalty. But his left-footed effort was brilliantly saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, and silence descended over the Atlanta Stadium. For Messi, though, the bigger battle was internal. It was the second penalty he had missed for Argentina at this World Cup, and for a brief moment, it felt as though he had let his country down.
But Messi refused to let that miss define his night.
When Argentina needed him the most, trailing 2-0 and staring at a shock Round-of-16 exit, their captain found another gear. He ignited an extraordinary comeback by scoring the equaliser just before the end of regulation time, before Enzo Fernandez struck deep into stoppage time to send the defending champions into the quarterfinals.
In the space of just 13 chaotic minutes, Argentina pulled off one of the greatest escapes of the tournament to keep their World Cup dream alive. At the final whistle, the emotions that had built up inside Messi finally spilled over. The pressure, the frustration and the fear of having cost his team all gave way as the 39-year-old was seen in tears.
“It was a huge relief for all of us. I was really frustrated after missing the penalty, especially because of the way I took it. I felt like I had let the team down at an important moment. Thankfully, God had something special in store for me in the end. I was able to score the equaliser, and it was an incredible relief and a huge moment of happiness for all of us,” Messi said after the match.
Egypt had stunned the world by taking the lead through Yasser Ibrahim in the 15th minute. Argentina were handed an immediate opportunity to respond after Nicolas Tagliafico won a penalty, but Shobeir produced an outstanding save to deny Messi. The Egyptian goalkeeper continued to frustrate the reigning champions by keeping out efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi also rattled the crossbar with a free-kick as Egypt carried a 1-0 lead into the interval.
Thirteen minutes into the second half, Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage when Mostafa Ziko found the net, only for VAR to disallow the goal. The disappointment lasted only nine minutes. Ziko struck again in the 67th minute, finishing off a swift counterattack after excellent work from Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan to put Egypt 2-0 ahead.
Messi admitted the missed penalty continued to weigh on his mind.
“If I had scored it, the game could have taken a different direction because we were playing well, even after they had scored. We still created some clear chances, like Alexis Mac Allister’s and Julian Alvarez’s, when the goalkeeper made a save right on the goal line. It was all of that together. This team deserved to keep going. In the end, we’re just really happy,” he added.
Argentina finally found a way back in the 79th minute when Cristian Romero headed home Messi’s inviting free-kick. The goal completely shifted the momentum. Four minutes later, Messi produced the moment his country had been waiting for, firing home his 21st World Cup goal with a powerful strike from the edge of the area that clipped Shobeir’s gloves before crashing in off the underside of the crossbar.
With extra time seemingly inevitable, Enzo Fernandez completed the remarkable turnaround in stoppage time to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Argentina will now face Switzerland in the World Cup quarterfinals on July 8.
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