Argentina captain Lionel Messi has revealed that his emotional reaction after his side’s dramatic 3-2 World Cup victory over Egypt was driven by guilt over a missed penalty rather than the joy of reaching the quarter-finals.
Speaking after Tuesday’s Round of 16 clash in Atlanta, Messi said he felt he had let his teammates down when he failed to convert from the penalty spot in the first half.
“I cried because I felt that I let my teammates down because of the penalty I missed… and the way I took it. But thankfully once again, God had something special for me in the end. I’m very happy,” he said.
Argentina recovered from a two-goal deficit to book their place in the last eight. Egypt took the lead through Yasser Ibrahim before Mostafa Zico doubled the advantage.
Messi sparked the comeback by setting up Cristian Romero to reduce the deficit before scoring the equaliser in the 83rd minute. Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround with a stoppage-time winner.
Reflecting on the comeback, Messi praised his teammates’ determination and resilience.
“We didn’t want and didn’t deserve to go home. We could not let it end like that. This group really deserved to keep going. We never give up, at all. Never,” he said.
Messi’s equaliser was his eighth goal of the tournament, moving him back to the top of the Golden Boot standings ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. It also extended his record of scoring in six consecutive FIFA World Cup knockout matches.
The 39-year-old was visibly emotional at the final whistle in what is widely expected to be his final World Cup campaign.
Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on July 11 in Kansas City.
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