Argentina 3-2 Egypt: Lionel Scaloni must make brutal Lionel Messi decision as unwanted World Cup record set

Argentina 3-2 Egypt was a crippled befitting the weird and fantastic of the World Cup 2026 tourney truthful far.

Edging a five-goal thriller for the 2nd knockout crippled running, the reigning champions broke Pharaohs hearts everywhere, acknowledgment successful nary tiny portion to some technological calls successful their favour and Lionel Messi mastery.

However, successful spite of the latter's customary heroics, Albiceleste brag Lionel Scaloni indispensable present instrumentality a brutal determination into his ain hands.

Argentina 3-2 Egypt: What conscionable happened?

Argentina kept their imagination of back-to-back World Cup triumphs live successful an absorbing Atlanta encounter, pulling disconnected a magnificent comeback from 2-0 down wrong 20 chaotic second-half minutes.

La Albiceleste had ne'er antecedently won a World Cup lucifer erstwhile falling 2 goals down and had lone ever won 1 crippled astatine the contention erstwhile trailing astatine fractional time, but the tone of champions shone done and past some.

Argentina were aided by a mates of arguable calls going their way, but erstwhile the clip came for Scaloni's men to displacement from 2nd to sixth gear, they did truthful with gusto.

However, the top subordinate to ever propulsion connected a bluish and achromatic garment made beingness exponentially harder for them.

Argentina 3-2 Egypt: The large talking point

Shortly aft Yasser Ibrahim propelled Egypt into a daze lead, Argentina were fixed the accidental to deed backmost from the punishment spot when Haissem Hassan - different mesmerising - brought down Nicolas Tagliafico.

Main antheral Messi stepped up to the spot - nary teammate would adjacent deliberation astir taking this distant from him, adjacent aft the 39-year-old proved that helium is quality with his gaffe against Austria.

While Messi did not spell for the failed Bruno Guimaraes stutter, his spot footwear was a bully tallness for Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who parried the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's onslaught to information arsenic Messi became the archetypal antheral to miss 2 penalties astatine a azygous World Cup.

Argentina 3-2 Egypt: The bigger picture

Accused of lacking assurance from the punishment mark, Messi has present missed arsenic galore World Cup spot kicks arsenic helium has scored - excluding shootouts - converting 4 and fluffing four.

Today's punishment marked a milestone for Messi, who took the 150th spot footwear of his vocation successful Atlanta, but helium has present missed 34 of them - failing what is supposedly the easiest changeable successful shot implicit 20% of the time.

From an admittedly overmuch smaller illustration size, Julian Alvarez has converted 89% of his spot kicks - 17 from 19 - portion Enzo Fernandez has lone missed 1 of the 12 helium has taken during his career.

It would instrumentality the bravest of souls to instrumentality Messi disconnected punishment duties, but with a World Cup trophy connected the line, Scaloni could show the biggest enactment of managerial authorization imaginable by ordering the eight-time Ballon d'Or victor manus the shot implicit to Alvarez oregon Fernandez adjacent time.

Argentina 3-2 Egypt: What next?

Argentina march connected to the World Cup quarter-finals, wherever they volition conscionable either Switzerland oregon Colombia for the close to instrumentality connected England oregon Norway successful the semi-finals.