Argentina overcame plenty of adversity during the 10-match World Cup unbeaten streak they brought into their round of 16 match against Egypt on Tuesday.
They ended the country’s 36-year World Cup title drought at the 2022 event in Qatar, winning a pair of penalty-kick shootouts against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals and France in the final to raise the trophy.
They gutted out a 3-2 extra-time win over upstart Cape Verde on Friday to keep their hopes of a title defense alive.
And yet, they had not trailed once since their last World Cup loss, in the 2022 group-stage opener vs. Saudi Arabia.
Add the ability to overcome late adversity to the resume that has defined La Albiceleste’s historic run.
Trailing 2-0 and showing minimal signs of life on the indoor pitch at Atlanta, Argentina rattled off three goals between the 79th minute and second minute of second-half stoppage time, coming to life to land a berth in the quarterfinals with a 3-2 win.
“I can’t lift my gaze, I’m sorry, I’m very emotional. What a group of players. Brothers. That’s it,” Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said in Spanish during a postgame interview with Telemundo.
Scaloni wasn’t the only one who was moved.
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi’s list of accomplishments would make many blush, with a record eight Ballon d’Or awards, the most goals in World Cup history (21) and 919 career goals for club and country, second-most in the sport’s history.
But even the 39-year-old, who remains in top form during the twilight of his career in a record-tying sixth World Cup appearance, was visibly emotional. The marked the first time Argentina rallied from two goals down to win a World Cup match.
“We felt relieved. It wasn’t easy to come back from two goals down, but as I always say, this group never gives up,” Messi told reporters after the match, via translator. “It was crazy what this group did in this knockout round, and I am extremely happy. Extremely happy for the people who can celebrate and enjoy our qualification and what we are. I hope we can continue.”
Messi made some unfortunate history early against Egypt when his penalty kick was saved, making him the first player to fail to convert multiple penalty kicks in the same World Cup.
But he redeemed himself and then some, adding to his already inconceivably large legacy by assisting on Argentina’s first goal in the 79th minute and scoring the tying goal four minutes later.
“Maybe he missed a penalty, you could focus on that. We are out, they go two goals ahead,” Scaloni said. “But then Messi asks for the ball again, and he tries again, and again. And I get goosebumps, to be honest.
“… I am convinced that he plays football for moments like this. He loves the ball, he loves playing with the ball. And feeling these emotions at this stage in his career, it’s very difficult to put into words.”
With the goal, Messi has scored in nine straight World Cup matches (extending his record) and six consecutive knockout-stage matches to set another record. With eight goals in this tournament, he’s atop the Golden Boot leaderboard entering the quarterfinal round and tied for the most goals for a single World Cup in Argentina history.
His eight goals are also the most through five matches of a World Cup since West Germany’s Gerd Muller scored 10 through five in the 1970 edition.
But Messi wasn’t involved in the game-winning sequence, when Julian Alvarez played a long ball ahead to Lautaro Martinez, who crossed a pass right to Enzo Fernandez. The game-winning tally came on a header from Fernandez.
Scaloni wanted to make sure those contributions were not lost amid the appreciation for Messi’s greatness.
“It’s not just Messi. I don’t want to just speak about Messi as the other teammates endured that incredibly,” Scaloni said. “That is part and parcel of what this team is all about. This group of people that I lead. It’s been a huge test that leaves a huge impression on you, a huge mark on you.
“This is showing the way forward for all the young players who watched this match, all the players who want to put on the Argentinian jersey. This is who we are.”
–Field Level Media
