The defending champions pulled off one of the tournament's most iconic escape acts in Atlanta, coming from two goals down to stun the Pharaohs 3-2 and keep their title defense alive.
The match got off to a rocky start for the South American giants when Yasser Ibrahim put Egypt ahead early, followed by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir saving a telegraphed 20th-minute penalty from Messi. When Mostafa Zico doubled Egypt’s lead in the second half, Argentina’s World Cup dreams looked effectively over.
However, Messi turned the game on its head late in the match, delivering a pinpoint assist for Cristian Romero to score before thumping home the equalizer himself in the 83rd minute.
Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez then completed the breathtaking fightback by heading home the winning goal deep into stoppage time.
“I cried because I felt that I let my teammates down, because of the penalty I missed… and the way I took it," Messi confessed after the final whistle. "But thankfully once again, God had something special for me in the end. I’m very happy. This group really deserved to keep going. We never give up, at all. Never.”
The crucial equalizer marked Messi’s eighth goal of the tournament, pushing him back to the absolute top of the Golden Boot standings ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland.
The strike also extended his historic record of scoring in six consecutive World Cup knockout fixtures.
Overcome with deep emotion at the final whistle of what is widely expected to be his final appearance on the world stage, Messi and his resurgent Argentina squad will now travel to Kansas City to face Switzerland in a high-stakes quarter-final clash on July 11.
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