Follow Us on Google
Argentina captain Lionel Messi has revealed that the tears he shed after his side’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt were driven by guilt over his missed penalty rather than the joy of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
The reigning champions looked set for an early exit after falling two goals behind in their Round of 16 clash in Atlanta. Messi endured a difficult first half, missing a penalty after Egypt had taken the lead, but responded brilliantly by inspiring Argentina’s remarkable late turnaround.
The veteran forward set up Cristian Romero to reduce the deficit, scored the equaliser minutes later, before Enzo Fernández completed the stunning comeback deep into stoppage time.
Reflecting on the emotional scenes after the final whistle, Messi admitted the missed spot-kick had weighed heavily on him throughout the match.
“I cried because I felt that I let my teammates down because of the penalty I missed and the way I took it.
“But thankfully, once again, God had something special for me in the end. I’m very happy.”
Messi praised the fighting spirit of the Argentine squad, insisting they never believed their World Cup journey was over despite trailing by two goals.
“We didn’t want and didn’t deserve to go home. We could not let it end like that.
“This group really deserved to keep going. We never give up. Never.”
Egypt had taken control through Yasser Ibrahim, before goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir denied Messi from the penalty spot in the 20th minute. Mostafa Zico doubled Egypt’s advantage, leaving Argentina facing elimination before the South Americans produced one of the tournament’s most memorable comebacks.
Messi’s equaliser was his eighth goal of the tournament, lifting him back to the top of the Golden Boot standings ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. The goal also extended his remarkable record of scoring in six consecutive World Cup knockout matches.
The emotional victory keeps Argentina’s title defence alive, with the world champions set to face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on July 11 in Kansas City. The match could also represent another significant milestone in what is widely expected to be Messi’s final FIFA World Cup campaign.
