1 hour Ago
For much of the match, nothing was going right for the Argentine captain. He had missed a penalty, lost the ball in midfield more than once, and looked a step slower than the player who once tore defenses apart at will. Egypt capitalized, building a 2-0 lead and outplaying Argentina for large stretches. It seemed like the defending champions were headed toward an early exit. Then, in the 79th minute, everything changed.
The Spark: A Cross That Started It All
Messi's first involvement in the comeback wasn't flashy. He won a corner that Egypt cleared easily, then chased down the loose ball out wide, only to see his cross blocked without much difficulty. There was no trace of his usual sharpness in that moment. He jogged back, threw the ball in, and waited on the flank as play developed elsewhere.
Fifteen seconds later, the ball found him again, as it so often does when Argentina needs answers. He shaped up his defender, threatened to drive inside, and bought himself just enough room. That was all he required. A quick touch, a glance up, and a perfectly weighted cross sailed onto the head of Cristian Romero, who nodded it home from close range. The score read 2-1, and suddenly, belief crept back into the Argentine side.
The Turning Point: A Run Straight Out of His Prime
Three minutes later, in the 82nd minute, Messi produced a moment that seemed to defy his age entirely. Picking up the ball near the touchline, he beat his first marker, Trézéguet, with a simple change of direction before exploding into a sprint that recalled his younger years. He covered close to fifteen meters of open turf with the ball glued to his feet, shrugging off attempts to pull him back by the shirt.
As he neared the box, he shifted the ball to his right, only for Karim Hafez to step across and block his path. It didn't matter. Messi nudged the ball past him, using his low center of gravity and surprising strength to hold off the defender, then skipped away from a desperate lunge. With Ramy Rabia closing in near the byline, he twisted his body and threaded a pass onto the head of Lautaro Martínez, all without looking up. Martínez couldn't convert the chance, but by then, the message had already landed. Everyone on the pitch and everyone watching understood that Messi had taken control of the game.
The Equalizer: A Strike for the Ages
The decisive moment came just one minute later, in the 83rd minute. Messi received the ball out wide again and sent in a cross that deflected and looped toward the far post. Anticipating that whoever met the ball there would likely knock it back across the goal, he was already moving into the box before the ball even arrived. His read was correct.
Gonzalo Montiel managed to stop Lautaro Martínez's attempted pass across the face of the goal, then laid the ball back into Messi's path with a soft touch. With three Egyptian defenders between him and the goal, Messi didn't hesitate. He pivoted on his standing leg and struck the ball on the half-volley with the outside of his left foot. The shot cannoned off the crossbar and flew into the net with such force that goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir barely had time to react. Argentina had leveled the score at 2-2.
Although it was Enzo Fernández who eventually scored the winning goal, there was no question about who had turned the match around. In under five minutes, Messi had delivered an assist and a goal, dragging his team back from the brink and keeping Argentina's World Cup hopes alive.
