Years, and perhaps decades later, Lionel Messi will remember a game of extreme fluctuating fortunes in graphic detail. His missed penalty in the first half, the free-kick that cannoned off the post, Egypt’s counter-attacking goal, Cristian Romero’s goal to spark the comeback, his own equalizer on the half-volley, the heart-stopping moments between the VAR check of Enzo Fernandez’s head. And, after all this, the night he heard the final whistle, he cried like a child.
In what will be remembered as one of the greatest comebacks he and his country have ever made, the afternoon saw him see darkness rise from the roof of the arena in Atlanta.
As happened | Argentina vs Egypt, FIFA World Cup Round 16
Egypt were leading 2-0 with just 11 minutes left in the game. They stopped everything but Argentina’s iron concept, Messi’s unfathomable genius and their own muddled thinking, their naivety on the biggest stage. The 3-2 reverse was brutal for Egypt, losing to a team that is building its own destiny, carving out its own legacy.
Egypt’s resistance will not be forgotten, but Argentina’s comeback will achieve epic status. This match will be the touchstone for the fight-backs in the history of the tournament. And another occasion to celebrate Messi and Argentina.
Champions never lose their faith. The tight-knit group has survived many setbacks together. Under Messi’s guidance, they have walked through water and fire, risen from the depths of the ocean and scaled peaks. But the latest, impending tragedy looked different. The stage was incredible, it equated to the incredible talent of Messi to perform his last show on stage.
Dismissing Argentina’s romanticized sense of resilience, Messi and his teammates fought back. The opening passage of the second half was narrowed to 30 yards from the Egyptian goalmouth. The game was almost settled as Egypt broke the deadlock for the first time, but Mostafa Zico’s goal, set up by Hosim Hasan’s bolting sprint, was washed away by Lisandro Martinez’s foul in the build-up.
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But with the numbers pushed forward, Argentina were invited to run counter-attacks. A goal was inevitable; Hasan was the producer who tore the heart out of the field, running deftly into space and lashing the ball home to block the comeback, before outpacing Zico.
Time was running out. The shutter had rolled down on the greatest footballer to ever walk the planet. Then he rolled himself up. Four minutes after Romero’s header came Messi’s sweeping half-volley, powered by a non-existent back-lift.
Messi stared. Penalty missed for the second time in the tournament. Perhaps, the simplest, taken for granted task, has its tragic flaw. The man who can make the ball travel impossible paths, who can confound geometers with the flicks and curls of his free-kicks, who has scored every kind of goal possible to mankind, who can run across a village to find a goal, who can miss even a simple strike from 12 yards with only the goalkeeper. It is the theater of the absurd and, for nitpickers, the only spot to nitpick.
Football’s immortals account for the number of mortals in converting penalties – approximately 77 percent. He has made the last three of his six spot kicks. The effort was weak-stuck, his legs wobbly behind him. The Egyptian goalkeeper, Mostafa Shober, pounced on his left side and cleared it away without straining. It was the second penalty to save this World Cup, the first in the tournament’s history to do so.
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A shocked Messi apologized and stared at the sky in amazement. Will he see his endnotes glimmering gloomily over them? Among the stack records, he will also have one he doesn’t want – the first player to miss two non-shootout penalties in the same World Cup. He won’t bother. The day, finally, was his.
As the afternoon wore on, his irritation grew. Almost immediately, he could atone. But his free-kick, swerving, tucking and inside, hit the arc straight up. He cursed his fate, a rare outburst of anger. His troops rallied around him and nearly equalized in the 40th minute. Julian Alvarez, starting ahead of Lautaro Martinez, saw Shober’s strong long arms redirect his side-footed shot across goal. Shober absorbed the heat of Alvarez’s header from point-blank range.
Egypt’s strike was not against the flow of a game where both teams were keen to keep their shape, defend resolutely and not concede early goals. Walks into the penalty box were rare. It was like a pair of shadow punching by a boxer before landing a blow. One blow can ignite many blows. And then the goal was scored and the Egyptian fans celebrated in amazement.
It was Egypt’s first penetrating racetrack. Figurehead Mo Salah was involved in the game for the first time and right-back Mohamed Hany headed in a corner from Lisandro Martinez. Egypt worked on a corner shot, near the right channel outside the box, Marwan Attia swung a scything cross to the opposite postcode, where Yasser Ibrahim beat Martinez to the ball and his header crossed the goal, past the reaction-less Martinez. The strike woke the competition from its slumber.
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The unfolding drama will make it an all-time classic. It was heartbreaking for Egypt; His courage will be remembered. But the script written by Messi and his teammates was stronger.