Argentina was dead. They were buried. And then Lionel Messi did what Lionel Messi does.
Down 2-0 with 11 minutes left in regulation against a dangerous Egypt side in the World Cup Round of 16, the defending champions looked cooked. Egypt had been the better team for long stretches. They had the pace on the counter. Their goalkeeper had already stopped a Messi penalty in the first half. Everything was going wrong.
But here’s the thing about tournaments: legends write their own endings.
Cristian Romero started the rescue mission in the 79th minute, heading one home off a set piece to cut the lead in half. The stadium felt it shift. Then, four minutes later, Messi pounced on a loose ball in the box and volleyed it into the net with that trademark left foot. Tie game. Bedlam.
And just when it looked like extra time was inevitable, Enzo Fernández — the same kid who went viral for that poem about Messi years ago — smashed in the winner three minutes into stoppage time. The bench emptied onto the field. Argentina survives.
The match wasn’t without controversy. Egypt thought they had a second goal in the first half from Mostafa Zico on a breakaway, but VAR called it back for a foul on the other end of the pitch. That decision aged poorly for Egypt fans when Zico later scored legitimately in the 67th minute to make it 2-0. For about 12 minutes, it felt like the script was flipped completely.
But then Argentina remembered they’re Argentina.
Messi now leads the Golden Boot race with eight goals, one ahead of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland. At 39 years old, he’s still the engine that drives this team. It’s honestly kind of ridiculous.
Argentina moves on to face the winner of Colombia vs. Switzerland on Saturday in Kansas City. If they play like they did for the first 78 minutes against Egypt, they won’t last much longer. But if they play like they did in those final 15 minutes? Watch out.
The defending champs are still alive. Barely.
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