Argentina captain Lionel Messi has revealed why he became emotional following his side’s thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The reigning world champions overturned a two-goal deficit on Tuesday night to book their place in the tournament’s quarter-finals after an intense contest.
Despite ending the match on the winning side, Messi admitted he was overwhelmed with emotion because he felt responsible after missing a first-half penalty.
Missed penalty left Messi devastated
Egypt took an early lead through Nasser Ibrahim before Argentina were awarded a penalty that could have restored parity.
However, Messi failed to convert from the spot after his effort was saved, marking his second missed penalty of the tournament.
The setback was followed by another blow for Argentina as Mostafa Zico doubled Egypt’s advantage with a well-worked counter-attacking goal.
Argentina stage remarkable comeback
Argentina responded strongly after the break, producing an impressive comeback to keep their title defence alive.
Cristian Romero sparked the revival before Messi redeemed himself by finding the back of the net.
Enzo Fernández then completed the turnaround with the winning goal, sealing a memorable 3-2 victory and sending Argentina into the last eight.
Messi reflects on emotional moment
Speaking after the match, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner admitted the missed penalty affected him deeply.
He said he felt he had disappointed his teammates but was grateful the team recovered to secure qualification.
Messi also expressed his happiness that Argentina found a way to win despite the difficult start to the match.