Lionel Messi explained the tears he showed after Argentina qualified for the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup, after the 3-2 comeback against Egypt at the Atlanta Stadium.
The Argentine captain acknowledged that the missed penalty in the first half affected him especially due to the moment of the match and the responsibility he feels within the group.
“I was very angry about the missed penalty, about how I kicked it,” Messi said after the match. The forward also admitted that this mistake caused him an emotional burden during the development of the match. “I felt that at an important moment I had failed the group,” he said.
“It was a relief, a relief”
Argentina was 0-2 down against Egypt, but reacted in the final stretch of the match and achieved a victory that allowed it to continue defending its world title.
Messi was key in the comeback by scoring the goal to tie 2-2, before Enzo Fernández completed the final 3-2. “Being able to get the tie in the end and turn it around was a relief, a relief,” said the captain.
The Argentine also highlighted the character of the team on a night that was close to ending the elimination of the Albiceleste. “We didn’t want to leave… I think this group deserved
continue,” he added.
Messi’s tactical explanation
In addition to talking about the emotional impact of the missed penalty, Messi explained why he changed his position during the second half.
The Argentine captain said that Egypt closed the spaces in the center of the field, which forced them to look for variants on the sides after the changes made by Lionel Scaloni.
“It was difficult in the middle because they accumulated people… with the entry of Lautaro, having two ‘9’, there were already too many people in the middle and I tried to look for the spaces on the side,” he explained.
The records, in the background
Messi was also consulted about the new records achieved during the 2026 World Cup, including his record of appearances and goals in World Cups.
The captain, however, assured that individual marks were not his priority during the tournament. “I didn’t look at it, it wasn’t something that mattered to me… it happened as a result of the games,” he declared.
With the victory over Egypt, Argentina advanced to the quarterfinals and kept alive the possibility of defending the title won in Qatar 2022.
For Messi, the night in Atlanta left a mixture of anger, relief and relief; a direct explanation for the tears that had traveled the world minutes after the final whistle.