Messi's evening against Egypt was a rollercoaster. It started low with a missed penalty, but it got better. He scored the equalizer for Argentina, his 21st goal at a World Cup and pushed him clear at the top of the Golden Boot race
Messi's evening against Egypt was a rollercoaster. It started low with a missed penalty, but it got better. He scored the equalizer for Argentina, his 21st goal at a World Cup and pushed him clear at the top of the Golden Boot race
The night started badly for Argentina and Messi. Egypt scored 15 minutes into the game through Yasser Ibrahim. Six minutes later, handed the chance to level the game from the spot, Messi missed the shot. Mostafa Shobeir's save brought Messi a first that no one saw coming: no player had ever missed two penalties at a single World Cup in open play. His first miss came in the group win over Austria.
At 39, in his sixth World Cup, Messi has long since run out of ordinary records to set. Even his failures now come with a line in the history books.
The response took an hour to arrive and needed one touch. In the 83rd minute, with Argentina 2-1 down and staring at elimination, Gonzalo Montiel found Messi, who levelled the match. His 21st goal at a World Cup, the most a player ever scored at this tournament. Kylian Mbappé is next on 19 goals.
For nine consecutive World Cup matches, Messi scored. A run reaching back through his 2022 title. He also marked six consecutive knockout games with a goal.
With a third goal scored into the stoppage time, Argentina eliminated Egypt.
Messi is chasing another trophy besides the World Cup: The Golden Boot. The equaliser moved him to eight tournament goals, one clear of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland on seven, with Harry Kane at six. What makes this race unusual is that all four are still playing: Mbappé faces Morocco in the quarter-final and Haaland meets Kane's England on Saturday.
