Lionel Messi wept uncontrollably after winning an incredible match. He had scored a goal himself, yet there were tears in his eyes. He explained the reason, stating that the tears were not merely of joy; they also stemmed from intense frustration with himself. According to the online edition of a British tabloid, Argentina was trailing 2-0 against Egypt with 11 minutes remaining in the World Cup Round of 16. However, a goal by Cristian Romero sparked a comeback, followed by an equalizer from the 39-year-old Messi. Ultimately, the reigning world champions secured a dramatic victory and advanced to the quarter-finals. Yet, the match could have unfolded differently; Messi had a chance to level the score at 1-1 in the first half but failed to convert a penalty.
Reflecting on the missed penalty after the match, Messi said, “I was very frustrated and angry about what happened in today’s match, especially after missing the penalty.” He added, “If I had scored from the penalty, the course of the match would have changed. Even though we had conceded goals, we were playing well at the time.” With this miss, Messi set an unwanted record in World Cup history: he became the first footballer to miss two consecutive penalties in the tournament. This was the 150th penalty of his career, and he has failed to score in 34 of them. Despite being considered one of the greatest players in football history, his penalty conversion rate stands at approximately 77 percent; notably, he has missed half of the penalties he has taken in the World Cup so far.
He had also missed a penalty in the recent group-stage match against Austria, although he did score two goals in that game. In the match held in Atlanta, Messi once again aimed his penalty to the goalkeeper’s left, but Egypt’s goalkeeper, Mostafa Shobeir, correctly guessed the direction and made a brilliant save. When Argentina was trailing 2-0 late in the game, it seemed as though that missed penalty might be the very reason for the team’s elimination. However, he ultimately left the pitch smiling, having scored the equalizer and played a pivotal role in the team’s victory—though there were tears of joy along the way.
Messi remarked that this team deserved to advance; they deserved to keep fighting and striving. He added that the belief that they could get back into the match took hold among them all once Cuti (Cristian Romero) scored. They managed to equalize and seal the win within the regulation 90 minutes, avoiding extra time. The situation had been dire when they were trailing 2-0, but they managed to turn the match around. Finally, Messi noted that coming back from a two-goal deficit in a tournament like the World Cup is by no means easy; here, nothing is handed to you without a fight.
