Lionel Messi admitted he felt he let his team down after missing a first-half penalty in Argentina's 3-2 comeback win over Egypt in the FIFA World Cup round of 16, but expressed gratitude that fate had something special in store for him.
Messi's penalty miss and historic record
The miss in the first half marked the fourth missed non-shootout penalty of Messi's World Cup career, the most by any player in tournament history. Argentina trailed 2-0 in the 67th minute before a stunning counter-attack saw goals from Cristian Romero, Messi, and Enzo Fernandez within 13 minutes to secure a quarterfinal spot.
Messi's emotional reaction
Speaking after the match, Messi said, "Yes, truly it was a relief, a relief for everyone. As I just said, I was very angry about the missed penalty, about how I kicked it. I felt that at an important moment I had let the group down, and well, luckily, God once again had something special in store for me at the end. I was able to score the equalising goal, a very big relief and an enormous happiness for us, for these people who came once again and demonstrated every day what it is, what we are as Argentines, the pride it gives us and nothing, very happy."
Praising his team, he added, "I have said it many times, and I repeat it often. This is a team that competes, that always gives their all, that never gives up, never lowers its arms."
Match details: Egypt's early lead
Egypt stunned Argentina in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from Marwan Attia's corner. Argentina had an immediate chance to respond after Nicolas Tagliafico won a penalty, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir denied Messi from the spot. Shobeir continued his impressive display by saving efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi also struck the crossbar with a free-kick as Egypt held a 1-0 lead at half-time.
Egypt doubles the lead
Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage early in the second half through Mostafa Ziko, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review. However, Ziko finished off a swift counterattack in the 67th minute after good work from Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan to make it 2-0.
Argentina's stunning comeback
Argentina responded with renewed urgency after introducing attacking reinforcements. Cristian Romero reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, heading in Messi's inviting free-kick. Just four minutes later, Messi levelled the contest with a powerful strike from the edge of the box that found the net after clipping the goalkeeper's gloves and the underside of the crossbar. With extra time looming, Argentina completed their remarkable turnaround in stoppage time when Enzo Fernandez calmly slotted a low finish into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Quarterfinal matchup
The win sends Argentina into the quarter-finals, where they will face the winners of the round of 16 clash between Switzerland and Colombia on July 8.
