2026 FIFA World Cup: I let my teammates down — Messi explains reason for tears after Egypt victory

Lionel Messi revealed that overwhelming guilt over his missed penalty sparked his post-match tears following Argentina's dramatic 3-2 comeback victory against Egypt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The defending champions narrowly avoided a historic round-of-16 exit at the Atlanta Stadium on Tuesday. Egypt established a commanding 2-0 lead through goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko, leaving Lionel Scaloni's side on the brink of elimination until a frantic 14-minute resurgence flipped the tie.

Messi, who has represented the senior national team from 2005 to date, collapsed to the turf in tears following the final whistle. The emotional display caught onlookers by surprise given his cemented legendary status and his previous triumph at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Addressing reporters after the match, the 39-year-old captain explained that the raw emotion stemmed from his earlier failure from the penalty spot. In the 21st minute, with Argentina already trailing 1-0, Messi saw his penalty saved by Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

"I cried because I felt that I let my teammates down because of the penalty I missed and the way I took it," Messi stated. "But thankfully once again, God had something special for me in the end. I’m very happy."

The veteran forward emphasised the squad's collective refusal to surrender their title defense despite staring down an embarrassing early exit.

"We didn’t want and didn’t deserve to go home; we could not let it end like that," he added. "This group really deserved to keep going. We never give up at all. Never."

His 2021 Copa America breakthrough, the 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar, and the most recent 2024 Copa America defence established a legacy that requires no further validation. 

Yet, his performance in the closing stages against Egypt demonstrated a player desperately fighting to keep his final global campaign alive after his initial failure nearly sent the defending champions out.

After struggling against a deeply organised Egyptian defensive block, Messi personally dismantled the opposition to orchestrate the turnaround.

In the 79th minute, he delivered a precise cross that allowed defender Cristian Romero to head past Shobeir and reduce the deficit. Four minutes later, Messi received a lay-off from Gonzalo Montiel before rifling a half-volley into the roof of the net to level the score at 2-2 and register his 21st career World Cup goal.

The relentless pressure ultimately broke the seven-time African champions deep into stoppage time. In the 93rd minute, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández timed his run perfectly to head home a cross from Lisandro Martínez, securing a 3-2 victory and completing one of the most remarkable comebacks in tournament history.

Argentina will now travel to Kansas to face either Colombia or Switzerland in the quarter-finals, keeping their pursuit of back-to-back world titles intact.