Lionel Messi set an unwanted FIFA World Cup record despite inspiring Argentina's dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 of the 2026 tournament. The match, played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday, July 7, saw La Albiceleste fight back from two goals down to secure their place in the quarter-finals.
Messi Misses Penalty, Makes Unwanted History
Lionel Messi had the chance to put Argentina ahead early in the match after they were awarded a penalty. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner struck his effort low to the goalkeeper's left, but Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed correctly and made a comfortable save. The stop extended Egypt's impressive penalty-saving record following their shootout victory over Australia in the previous round.
According to The Independent, the miss added another disappointing chapter to Messi's World Cup penalty record. The Argentina captain has now failed to convert three of his last four penalties at the FIFA World Cup, with previous misses coming against Cape Verde and Austria before his latest effort against Egypt. Overall, Messi has now missed four of his eight penalties at FIFA World Cups, excluding penalty shootouts, meaning he has converted only half of his attempts from the spot.
The latest miss also saw Messi become the first player in FIFA World Cup history to miss two penalties during the same tournament, excluding penalty shootouts.
Egypt Stuns Defending Champions
Egypt stunned the defending champions by racing into a 2-0 lead through goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico. However, Argentina mounted a remarkable comeback as Cristian Romero pulled one back before Messi levelled the contest just four minutes later. Enzo Fernandez then completed the turnaround in stoppage time, sealing a dramatic 3-2 victory for the South Americans.
Shobeir Frustrates Argentina
Mostafa Shobeir produced several outstanding saves to keep Egypt in control during the first half. The goalkeeper first denied Alexis Mac Allister with a brilliant point-blank stop before reacting quickly to keep out Julián Álvarez from close range after a dangerous cross into the penalty area. Messi also came close from a trademark free-kick, only to see his effort crash against the far post as Argentina's frustration continued to mount.
Despite Egypt's heroic defensive display and Shobeir's outstanding performance, Argentina eventually found a way back, with Romero, Messi and Fernández scoring to complete one of the most dramatic comebacks of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, per ESPN.
Supercomputer Prediction
Legit.ng earlier reported that Opta’s supercomputer released its prediction for the World Cup Round of 16 tie between Argentina and Egypt. The supercomputer ran 25,000 simulations of the match, and La Albiceleste came out as overwhelming favourites with a 69.1% chance of winning.
