Argentina captain and record-breaking Lionel Messi was left visibly emotional after a dramatic 3-2 comeback win over Egypt to end the African giants’ dream and advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Trailing 2-0 with just over ten minutes left, Argentina looked headed for a stunning exit.
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Instead, Messi turned back the clock one more time, setting up Cristian Romero’s goal before scoring the equaliser and Enzo Fernández completed the comeback in stoppage time; 3-2, and a place in the last-eight secured.
Messi admitted the missed first-half penalty weighed on him: “It was a relief for everybody. I was very upset with the missed penalty. If I had made the penalty, the dynamic of the game would have been different.”
“Cuti [Romero] changed everything. There, we felt we were going to do it, that we were going to tie it – but luckily, we didn’t need to go to extra time.
“Today, what the group did was crazy. To come back from 2-0 in a World Cup knockout game. Nobody gives you anything. This group showed again that it competes, never puts its arms down.”
On the emotion at the final whistle: Visibly in tears, Messi spoke about what the support means to him.
“I’ve said it many times; I appreciate the love of the entire world that I already received, even more when it’s from colleagues… I’m happy, proud to compete next to this group.”
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