Lionel Messi continues making history while leading his team onward at the FIFA World Cup.
The 39-year-old Argentine professional footballer scored in a record sixth straight World Cup knockout match to help Argentina reach the quarterfinals with a stunning late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday in Atlanta.
Egypt were leading the defending champions 2-0 heading into the closing stages before Messi provided an assist for Cristian Romero in the 79th minute and a goal of his own four minutes later to tie the score.
Just when it seemed that extra time was in the cards, Enzo Fernández headed into the net in the second minute of stoppage time to complete a remarkable turnaround at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It was the first time in World Cup history that a team had won a knockout match in regulation time after trailing by two goals in the 75th minute.
“This is a phenomenal group that never gives up,” Fernández said. “Four years have passed since Qatar, and we’ve come to enjoy another World Cup — and we want to win it again. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
Argentina, who are bidding to become the first back-to-back World Cup champions since Brazil in 1958 and 1962, will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday.
“I’m so emotional,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “What a group of players, brother.”
Egypt looked set to produce a stunning upset after Yasser Ibrahim‘s 15th-minute goal was added to by Mostafa Zico‘s close-range strike on the counterattack in the 67th minute. The record seven-time African champions, who made history by advancing to the round of 16 for the first time, also had a goal ruled out following video review.
Messi missed a chance to equalize in the first half when his penalty was saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. Messi also hit the post when the score was 1-0.
But he delivered the goods once again late. Messi has scored in a record nine consecutive World Cup matches dating to Argentina’s title run in 2022. Tuesday’s goal marked his 13th in that span.
“Honestly, I’m just so happy we made it through and about the way we did it,” Messi said. “Things got tough at 2-0, so it was incredibly exciting to turn it around once again. We suffered a lot, but that’s the World Cup for you: Every match is playing out the same way; everything is so evenly matched.
“But as always, this group never gives up and keeps trying until the very end.”
Messi’s 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.
His goal also gave Messi a two-goal lead over Mbappé on the World Cup career leaderboard.
“Seeing him get emotional was moving too,” teammate Lautaro Martínez said of Messi’s reaction at full time. “I told him right there on the pitch to enjoy the moment because he deserved it and that we would keep giving our all for ourselves — but above all for him, since this is his last World Cup and he has given us so much.”
For much of the game, it looked as if it would be a painful exit for 39-year-old Messi in his sixth and perhaps final World Cup.
Egypt took a surprising lead in the 15th minute when Ibrahim got ahead of Lisandro Martínez to meet Marwan Attia‘s cross and head the ball into the bottom corner.
Argentina were quickly given the chance to level the match when Haissem Hassan tripped Nicolás Tagliafico in the box moments later. Referee François Letexier pointed to the penalty spot, and Messi stepped up with an expectant crowd waiting for him to score.
Shobeir had other ideas, diving to his left to block the shot for Messi’s second penalty miss of the 2026 tournament after also failing from the spot against Austria in the group stage.
Despite being the leading career scorer at World Cups, Messi has missed a record four of his eight penalty kicks at the tournament through the years.
After Messi hit the post later in the half, Shobeir pulled off another great save to stop Julián Álvarez from close range.
Egypt thought they had doubled their 1-0 lead in the second half when Zico finished off a sweeping attack. But the wild celebrations were cut short when a foul earlier in the move was confirmed on video review and the goal was disallowed.
The second goal for Egypt came in the 67th from a similar break, and this time Zico’s effort counted. It just ended up not being enough.
