"Messi" reveals why he cried after Argentina's comeback win over Egypt to reach the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals,
On 8 July 2026, Lionel Messi, captain of the Argentina national team, spoke after the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match, where Argentina staged a thrilling comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 despite trailing 0-2 until the 79th minute.
Then Cristian Romero headed in to make it 1-2, followed by Lionel Messi scoring the equalizer at the 83rd minute. In stoppage time at 90+2, Enzo Fernández scored a winning header to complete the comeback for Argentina, winning 3-2.
This victory sends Argentina into the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals to face Switzerland, who won a penalty shootout 4-3 against Colombia after a 0-0 draw in 120 minutes. The match is scheduled for Sunday morning, 12 July at 08:00 Thai time.
After the game, 39-year-old Lionel Messi was brought to tears, but they were tears of relief after missing a penalty in the 21st minute before redeeming himself by scoring the equalizer that helped Argentina overturn Egypt. He said, "I felt very frustrated with everything that happened in today’s game, especially after missing that penalty."
"If I had scored, the flow of the game would have changed. Actually, we played very well, even though we conceded early. This team deserves to advance, deserves to keep fighting and trying."
"We got a goal from 'Cuti' (Cristian Romero), and I think that was the moment everyone felt deep in their hearts that it was possible and that we would succeed."
"We were lucky to equalize and win within 90 minutes without needing extra time. The situation looked grim when we were down 0-2, but we managed to turn it around."