Argentina superstar Lionel Messi grabbed the headlines once again in his team’s Round of 16 clash against Egypt on Tuesday. Messi missed a first-half penalty as the Egyptians scored first in Atlanta and threatened one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament.
Messi then led one of the most stirring comebacks in World Cup history after Argentina fell into a 2-0 hole late in the second half. He both assisted and scored to help Argentina win 3-2 and proceed to the quarterfinal.
Tom Brady Heralds Lionel Messi’s World Cup Performance
NFL legend Tom Brady was stunned by Messi’s performance in the game, praising the performance in a post on X.
“Yeah, so that might top 28-3,” Brady wrote. He referenced it to the New England Patriots’ legendary comeback in Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons, where the Patriots trailed 28-3, but came back to win 34-28 in overtime. The fact that the Argentina-Egypt match was played in Atlanta made it more special.
Messi made unwanted history in the first half when he became the first player to miss two penalties in the same edition of the World Cup (excluding shootouts). In addition, the miss brought his missed penalties tally in the World Cup to four, the most in the history of the tournament.
SIMULATE THE WORLD CUP: PFN’s FREE FIFA World Cup Simulator
The Inter Miami star kick-started Argentina’s comeback by providing an assist for center back Cristian Romero, who headed home a floated ball in the 79th minute. Messi then broke Egyptian hearts when he brought Argentina level in the 83rd minute with a swerving shot inside the box from a Gonzalo Montiel prod.
Just as the Egyptian players were recovering their wits and trying to stem Argentina’s newfound momentum, Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround with a back-post header in the 92nd minute.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Messi has now scored in nine consecutive games at the World Cup, dating back to the 2022 edition in Qatar, where he led his team to their first win in a generation and cemented his status as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game.
Messi has scored eight goals in the 2026 World Cup and leads the Golden Boot race from Norway’s Erling Haaland and France’s Kylian Mbappé, both of whom are still in the competition and are providing stiff competition for the Argentine icon.
Argentina has had to navigate two energy-sapping encounters in the knockout stages, against Cape Verde in the Round of 32 and Egypt in the Round of 16. Despite facing various hurdles in knockout play, Messi and Argentina are still in contention to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
They will face the winner of the Round of 16 match between Switzerland and Colombia for a spot in the semifinal.
