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Messi's World Cup Magic Masks Familiar Penalty Frailty
🇵🇰 Pakistan /Sports

Messi's World Cup Magic Masks Familiar Penalty Frailty

From Dawn · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Lionel Messi missed a penalty for Argentina against Egypt, continuing a pattern of struggles from the spot in major tournaments.
  • Despite his penalty frailty, Messi's overall performance, including a crucial equalizer, led Argentina to a comeback victory.
  • Argentina remains in contention to defend their World Cup title, with Messi's leadership and attitude highlighted as key factors.

Lionel Messi's persistent penalty struggles were once again on display as Argentina faced Egypt in the World Cup round of 16. A decade after famously retiring from international football following a missed penalty in a Copa America final, Messi's issues from the spot continue to haunt him on US soil. His latest miss against Egypt, saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, left the reigning champions staring at a potential shock exit.

This was Messi's second penalty miss of the tournament, having fired wide against Austria earlier. He has now become the only player to miss more than one penalty in a single World Cup, and with four misses across multiple World Cups, he holds an unwanted record. While his career conversion rate from the spot is around the global average, such a frailty is unexpected for a player of his caliber.

To the guys on the bench, the ones watching him in disbelief; I want them to take him as an example. It is truly something wonderful.

— Lionel ScaloniThe coach praises Messi's attitude and leadership after the comeback victory.

However, Messi's magic proved to be more than enough to mask this flaw. After Egypt took a 2-0 lead with just 11 minutes remaining, Messi's cross for Cristian Romero's header ignited a remarkable comeback. He then scored the equalizer himself, extending his World Cup scoring streak to eight consecutive games and bringing his tally to eight goals in five matches during this tournament. Enzo Fernandez sealed the victory, keeping Argentina's title defense hopes alive.

Coach Lionel Scaloni praised Messi's resilience, urging his teammates to emulate his attitude. "Look at his attitude! After the penalty he could have given up... but instead, he asked for the ball again and went for more," Scaloni said, visibly moved by the performance. Messi's emotional reaction after the match underscored the significance of the turnaround, highlighting his enduring importance to the Argentine squad.

Look at his attitude! After the penalty he could have given up, ‘we’re done, it’s 2-0’, but instead, he asked for the ball again and went for more.

— Lionel ScaloniScaloni highlights Messi's determination to continue playing and fighting despite missing a penalty.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dawn in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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