Argentina captain Lionel Messi has revealed that the tears he shed after his side’s dramatic World Cup comeback victory over Egypt on Tuesday were driven by guilt over his missed penalty rather than the joy of reaching the quarter-finals.
Argentina recovered from two goals down to defeat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta, with Messi enduring a rollercoaster evening. After missing a first-half penalty, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner set up Cristian Romero’s goal, scored the equaliser and watched Enzo Fernandez complete the stunning comeback deep into stoppage time.
Speaking after the match, Messi admitted the missed spot-kick weighed heavily on him throughout the game.
“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,” he said.
The 39-year-old said Argentina’s determination not to bow out of the tournament inspired their remarkable turnaround.
“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,” Messi added.
Messi’s penalty was saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir in the 20th minute, shortly after Yasser Ibrahim had given the Pharaohs the lead.
Egypt doubled their advantage through Mostafa Zico before Messi sparked Argentina’s fightback. He provided the assist for Romero to pull one back, levelled the score himself in the 83rd minute and saw Fernandez fire home the winner in stoppage time.
Messi’s equaliser was his eighth goal of the tournament, moving him back to the top of the Golden Boot race ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. It also extended his remarkable record of scoring in six consecutive World Cup knockout matches.
The Argentina captain was visibly emotional at the final whistle in what is widely expected to be the final World Cup campaign of his illustrious career.
Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on July 11 in Kansas City.
