Lionel Messi missed a penalty. Argentina went down 2-0 to Egypt. And then, for about 13 minutes, the 39-year-old turned the World Cup knockout stage into his own personal theater.
Egypt jumped ahead early. Yasser converted a penalty of his own, and Zico doubled the lead. Argentina looked rattled. Messi, who had just missed from the spot, looked human for a stretch. But the captain does not stay quiet forever.
Messi set up Cristian Romero for 2-1. Then he scored the equalizer himself, his 21st World Cup goal. And in the 92nd minute, Lautaro Martinez found Enzo Fernandez for the winner. Argentina won 3-2. Messi cried. The stadium roared. Egypt spent the next hour furious at the referee, with their coach accusing the officiating of bias — a complaint that included the word ‘racism,’ according to reports out of Cairo.
That win punched Argentina’s ticket to the quarterfinals, where Switzerland is waiting. Switzerland got there by beating Colombia on penalties, 4-3, in a game that was tight and nervy and probably not as fun as the one Argentina just played.
Juve restructures its entire staff. No foreigners, new technical director.
Juventus is going through a front-office overhaul. Carnevali — the club’s new decision-maker — picked Massara as technical director. Massara will work alongside sporting director Ottolini, and the whole operation will support coach Spalletti. Notably, the entire staff now has zero foreign executives. It is an all-Italian brain trust.
Meanwhile, Dusan Vlahovic is making noise. The Serbian striker has not gotten the offers he thinks he deserves. So he is willing to reopen contract talks. Carnevali said the door is open. That is a shift from a few weeks ago, when it looked like Vlahovic might force a move. Now the club is also showing more confidence in Brahim Diaz and Franck Kessie, both of whom had stints at Milan and Roma. Another meeting with Dibu Martinez is on the schedule later today, too.
Inter closing in on Khalaili. Milan spent $100 million already.
Inter is close to signing winger Khalaili, maybe as soon as this weekend. And Milan is not stopping. The club already spent $100 million this window — including a new defender from Gila, deal done at $30 million. Cardinale was spotted at Milanello with Amorim. The Saudis are still pushing for a new stadium in Cairo, and the mayor is publicly saying they are waiting for a project proposal. Torino also promised to come forward with a partnership plan in the coming months. There is a lot of paper moving around Italian football right now.
Over in London, Rocchi — the former referee designator — was questioned by prosecutors about allegations of pressure or match-fixing. He denied everything. The case might get shelved. Orsato is now the new referee designator, replacing Rocchi.
World Cup Golden Boy race, Sinner at Wimbledon, and Belgium dances on USA.
The World Cup Golden Boy rankings are shifting. Bouaddi, the Moroccan kid, jumped way up after another strong game. He is getting attention fast. And Belgium beat USA 4-1, with a Trump dance celebration after one goal. That one is going to live on social media for a while.
At Wimbledon, Jannik Sinner beat Struff and is into the semifinals. Cobolli plays later. Paolini and Flavio are on court at 1:30 p.m.
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