When referee François Letexier signaled the end of the match at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Lionel Messi remained motionless for a few seconds in the center circle. He covered his face and burst into tears before joining his companions in a hug. Argentina had just completed a memorable comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 and advance to the quarterfinals, but the story of the match had begun much earlier, with a missed penalty by their captain.
In the 21st minute, goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir stopped Messi’s shot from eleven meters. It was the second maximum penalty wasted by the Argentine in this World Cup, after the one he had missed against Austria during the group stage.
However, the outcome once again followed a pattern that accompanies the Argentine captain’s entire World Cup career. The 3-2 comeback against Egypt on July 7 confirmed a trend as striking as it was unknown: the Albiceleste has never lost a World Cup match due to a missed penalty by its captain.
Messi fails… and Argentina does not lose
The comeback against Egypt confirmed one of the most curious statistics in the recent history of the World Cup.
Argentina has never lost a World Cup match in which Lionel Messi missed a penalty during regulation time.
The sequence is revealing:
- Russia 2018: Hannes Halldórsson saved his penalty against Iceland. Argentina tied 1-1.
- Qatar 2022: Wojciech Szczęsny saved a penalty against Poland. The Albiceleste won 2-0.
- World Cup 2026: Messi failed against Austria in the group stage and failed again against Egypt in the round of 16. Argentina won both matches.
What seemed to become a decisive blow ended up being, once again, just one episode in a favorable result for the Argentine team.
A record that reflects a paradox
The penalty saved by Shobeir also left an unprecedented mark.
According to official FIFA records, Lionel Messi is now the footballer with more penalties executed in the history of the World Cup, with eight, and also the player with most missed penalties during regulation timewith four, not including the definition rounds.
Furthermore, it became the first footballer to miss two penalties in the same edition of the World Cup.
Paradoxically, none of those mistakes ended up costing Argentina an elimination.
The record that he did achieve
The night also left another historic figure.
With his goal of the 2-2 tie, Messi reached 21 scores in the history of the World Cupsexpanding the absolute record as the competition’s top scorer and remaining at the top of the 2026 World Cup scoring table with eight goals.
Furthermore, it came to 31 games played in World Cups, expanding his own record of World Cup appearances.
A comeback for history
The game seemed to slip away definitively when Mostafa Ziko scored 0-2 for Egypt in the 67th minute.
However, Argentina responded with one of the fastest comebacks of this World Cup. Messi began the reaction with injury time and later scored the tying goal before Enzo Fernández completed the final 3-2.
According to records compiled by MisterChip and Opta, the Albiceleste achieved one of the fastest comebacks recorded in a direct elimination phase of the tournament, also maintaining a streak that continues to fuel the legend of its captain.
The tears of a captain
The images of Messi crying after the final whistle spread around the world.
Although the Argentine did not explain the reason for his emotion, the sequence of the match helps to understand the magnitude of the moment: a missed penalty, a two-goal deficit in a direct elimination duel and a comeback that kept the world champion alive.
The curious statistic came true again. Every time Lionel Messi misses a penalty in a World Cup, Argentina finds a way not to lose. And this time, he also found his way to the quarterfinals.