Lionel Messi is human after all.
World Cup 2026
The Argentina talisman had a penalty saved early in his team’s round-of-16 match against Egypt on Tuesday that would have levelled the score at 1-1 in the first half. Instead, Egypt took the lead into halftime and extended that lead to 2-0 in the 67th minute.
Then fate intervened, according to Messi, who scored an equalizer after Cristian Romero had cut Egypt’s lead to 2-1, as Argentina went on to complete a historic World Cup comeback with a 3-2 win thanks to Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time header.
After scoring the goal to make it 2-2 in the 83rd minute — Messi’s tournament-leading eighth so far — he ran to the corner flag, jumped twice into the air while pumping his fist and pointed to the Argentina faithful in the stands at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Match Details
“The truth is that it was a moment of release, a release for all of us,” Messi said after the game. “I was feeling intense anger because of the penalty I wasted, and because of the way I took it. I felt like in that important moment, I had let the team down.
“But fortunately, God had something special in store for me once again in the end, and I was able to score the equalizer.
“That was a huge release, and immense joy for us, and for those fans who came again and prove every day what it means to be Argentine, and how much pride they give us.”
Tournament Impact
Messi began crying when the final whistle blew to seal the Argentina comeback as teammates gathered around the captain to celebrate the result in what is likely the last World Cup in which he will play.
The defending World Cup champions carried Messi and threw him into the air at the center of the field before they all embraced each other after another remarkable comeback.
“[Messi’s leadership] is reflected on the pitch. Everything he shows us on a day-to-day basis I will save for myself but he’s incredible. He’s our guide, our inspiration, our leader,” Lautaro Martínez said after the game. “Today, watching his run like that and in the end seeing him emotional, I told him on the field to enjoy it because he deserves it.
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