Messi Assists and Scores in Argentina's 3-2 Comeback vs Egypt
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- Argentina came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2 and reach the World Cup quarter-finals, scoring three goals in just 13 minutes late in the match
- Lionel Messi became the first man to miss two penalties in a single World Cup after Egypt goalkeeper Shobeir saved his spot-kick in the 21st minute
- Messi delivered his first assist of the tournament in the 79th minute, crossing for Cristian Romero to give Argentina a foothold in the comeback
- Messi equalized in the 83rd minute with a half-volley that the goalkeeper could only push into the roof of the net, after Egypt had led through Yasser Ibrahim (15') and Mostafa Zico (67')
- Enzo Fernandez headed in the winner in the 90+2 minute to complete one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history
- Lautaro Martinez's introduction off the bench in place of Rodrigo De Paul shifted Messi wider to the right wing, where he found breathing space to change the game
- Roy Keane praised Argentina as "streetfighters" who "will not give up," calling the quality of Argentina's goals "amazing" on ITV
Why it matters: Defending champions Argentina were 11 minutes from World Cup elimination before the comeback, with Messi's penalty miss briefly raising questions about the 38-year-old's capacity to carry his team. The tactical move to deploy Messi wider unlocked the turnaround, and his goal plus assist kept alive the holders' bid to retain the trophy — a feat no nation has achieved in decades.
