Why I cried after Argentina’s World Cup comeback — Messi

Lionel Messi revealed that his emotional reaction after Argentina's dramatic World Cup comeback victory against Egypt stemmed from a missed penalty, rather than solely the elation of advancing.

Argentina fought back from a two-goal deficit to secure a 3-2 win in Atlanta. Messi's first-half penalty was saved, but he later assisted a goal, scored the equalizer, and set the stage for the winning goal in stoppage time. He admitted the missed penalty weighed heavily on him throughout the match.

"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 after the game. "But thankfully once again, God had something special for me in the end. I’m very happy."

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

He emphasized the team's collective resolve, saying, "We didn’t want and didn’t deserve to go home, we could not let it end like that. This group really deserved to keep going. We never give up, at all. Never."

The match saw Egypt take an early lead through Yasser Ibrahim, only for Messi to inspire the comeback. His goal, his eighth of the tournament, places him ahead of other top scorers and extends his record of scoring in consecutive World Cup knockout games. Argentina is set to face Switzerland in the quarterfinals.

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