Hollywood Script: Argentina Stages Incredible Comeback Against Egypt

The World Cup Round of 16 clash between Argentina and Egypt will go down in football history. Trailing 0-2, 'La Albiceleste' turned the tide in just 13 minutes to secure a spot in the quarter-finals. Zamin.uz presents the details of this insane match and Messi's historic records.

Argentina – Egypt — 3:2

• Goals: Romero (79), Messi (83), Fernandes (90+2) — Yasser Ibrahim (15), Zizo (67).

• Missed penalty: Messi (21).

From anti-record to greatness: What did Leo Messi do?

The match started poorly for Lionel Messi. In the 21st minute, he failed to convert a penalty, marking his second missed spot-kick of this World Cup and setting a unique anti-record. However, in the second half, he displayed true leadership qualities:

• In the 79th minute, he provided an assist for Cristian Romero's goal.

• In the 83rd minute, he capitalized on a defensive error to equalize.

With this goal and assist, Messi rewrote World Cup history:

1. Top Scorer: Reached 21 goals in World Cups (Kylian Mbappé has 19).

2. Top Assister: Increased his World Cup assist tally to 9, surpassing the legendary Diego Maradona.

3. Lifetime Records: Became the player with the most World Cup appearances (31), the first to score in 9 consecutive games, and the first to score in 6 straight knockout matches.

The Golden Boot race heats up

For the first time in World Cup history, three players have scored 7 or more goals in a single tournament. With his goal in this match, Messi regained the lead:

Refereeing controversy and Egyptian fury

The match was not without controversial decisions by French referee François Letexier. He disallowed an Egyptian goal in the 60th minute due to a foul and ignored a suspicious incident in the Argentine penalty area in the 90+2nd minute. This caused sharp protests from the African side.

Mostafa Zizo (Egypt national team forward): «The referee came onto the pitch to ensure our defeat. We hoped to make the Egyptian people happy, but in the end, we congratulate Argentina on their World Cup victory. This is a fake tournament, and they don't even need to play the remaining games. The referee destroyed the dream of an entire nation».

Messi's tears and post-match confession

After the match, Messi, unable to hide tears of joy, praised the team's resilience:

«Once it was 0-2, the situation became very complicated. We feel incredible emotions for being able to turn the game around. It was very difficult for us again, but this is the World Cup. All games are like this. I am very happy».

The Argentina national team advances to the quarter-finals with its historic 13-minute comeback and continues the fight for the trophy.