Lionel Messi wore his heart on a sleeve after Argentina’s 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. Although the Argentine magician set an unwanted record with his missed penalty, he found the back of the net late to score his eighth goal in the World Cup, which saw him achieve a feat not seen since the 1930 World Cup, as well as tie Pele in World Cup history books.
Needless to say, it was yet another record-setting outing for Messi, who’s accustomed fans across the globe to these kind of outings throughout the 2026 World Cup—and his entire career. Although Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accused Messi and Argentina of being favored, nothing can be taken from the multi-goal comeback La Albiceleste mounted, which Messi called “crazy” and praised his teammates for.
It wasn’t an easy game for Argentina nor Messi, who had to overcome adversity after Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir denied him from the penalty spot. After the game, an emotional Messi made his thoughts crystal clear.
“As I said, it was a huge moment of relief for everyone. I felt intense anger because of the penalty I wasted, and the way I took it,” Messi admitted to reporters in the mixed zone after the game. “I felt like I let the group down in an important moment. But fortunately, fate had something special in store for me in the end, and I was able to score the equalizer. That was an enormous relief and great joy for all of us. I’m so happy.”
Lionel Messi of Argentina crying
The story behind Messi’s missed penalty
When the game was only 1-0 in Egypt‘s favor, Nicolas Tagliafico was tackled inside the box, handing Messi and Argentina a great chance to draw level. Up until that point, La Albiceleste had yet to put Egypt in much trouble. It felt like the perfect chance to get back into the game.
However, Shobeir’s intuition proved right as he guessed where Messi would place his shot. Since the Argentine didn’t put much power, height, or direction on the attempt, the goalkeeper made light work of the penalty. Once again, Messi missed a penalty at the 2026 World Cup, both times aiming to the goalkeeper’s left and shooting across his body.
Across his six World Cups, Messi has now taken eight penalties (excluding shootouts), but he has scored only half of them, missing the other four.
With Messi at the helm, Argentina move on
Still, even when Messi wasn’t at his best for Argentina, he came to the rescue. In the 83rd minute, he unleashed an absolute rocket on a half-volley that Shobeir got a hand to but couldn’t keep out of the net. As a result, Argentina are through to the next round, though their updated potential path to the 2026 World Cup final serves as a warning that they must address their defensive struggles.
