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Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to a stunning late comeback as the reigning champions beat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday to reach the World Cup quarterfinals.
After Argentina fell 2-0 down with just over 20 minutes remaining, Messi created one goal and then thrashed in the equaliser before Enzo Fernandez’s injury-time winner sent Argentina into the last eight.
The record seven-time African champions, who had already made history by advancing to the round of 16 for the first time, had earlier had a second goal ruled out following video review, Super Sport reports.
Egypt led 2-0 and looked set for a historic upset before Argentina’s captain sparked the turnaround.
Messi missed a chance to equalize in the first half when his penalty was saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. He also hit the post when the score was 1-0.
The miss extended his unwanted record for the most penalties missed in regulation time at the World Cup, having now failed to score on four of his eight attempts.
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He is the first player in World Cup history to miss two penalties at a single edition, having also failed to score from the penalty spot against Austria in the group stage.
But more significantly, he has now scored in a record nine consecutive World Cup matches dating back to Argentina’s title run in 2022.
Tuesday’s goal marked his 13th in that nine-game span.
His eight goals at this tournament put him one clear of France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.
The goal also gave Messi a two-goal lead over Mbappé on the all-time World Cup goal leaderboard.
Fernandez’s strike in injury time completed the comeback and booked Argentina a place in the quarterfinals, keeping their title defence alive.
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