Don’t Cry, Argentina, Messi’s Here

Lionel Messi wept tears of release and pain after Argentina completed a stunning comeback to defeat Egypt 3-2 in the 2026 World Cup round of 16. The victory, secured in the final minutes, saw Argentina rally from a 0-2 deficit to advance.

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It’s over something completely unrelated to football. I’ve had a few hard, complicated days.

Argentina, the reigning world champion, appeared to be heading out of the tournament when they trailed by two goals with less than ten minutes remaining. Yasser Ibrahim had opened the scoring for Egypt in the 15th minute, and Mostafa Ziko doubled their lead in the 67th. To compound Argentina's woes, Messi had missed a penalty in the first half, with Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir having a stellar performance.

However, the team known as the "Scaloneta" demonstrated its characteristic resilience. Cristian "Cuti" Romero pulled one back with a header in the 79th minute. Messi then leveled the score with a volley in the 84th minute. In stoppage time, Enzo Fernández completed the improbable comeback with a header at 90+2 minutes, marking the first time in World Cup history that Argentina had come back from a 0-2 deficit.

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This is the Scaloneta at its purest: it suffers, it stumbles, and it finds a way not to die

This was not the first time Messi had shown emotion at this World Cup. Earlier, after scoring against Algeria, he had also been seen crying, attributing it to personal difficulties unrelated to football, widely understood in Argentina to be related to his father's delicate health. This latest display of emotion, however, was met with a collective embrace from his teammates, who lifted him onto their shoulders in a moment of shared triumph and support.

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Sometimes even the captains have to be carried.