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Argentina captain Lionel Messi has explained that his tears after Tuesday’s World Cup comeback win over Egypt stemmed from guilt over a missed penalty, rather than pure joy at reaching the quarter-finals.
Argentina came from two goals down to beat Egypt 3-2, with Messi missing a first-half penalty before recovering to set up Cristian Romero’s goal, scoring the equaliser himself, and seeing Enzo Fernandez complete the comeback deep into stoppage time.
Messi said: “I cried because I felt that I let my teammates down, because of the penalty I missed… But thankfully once again, God had something special for me in the end.” He added: “We didn’t want and didn’t deserve to go home. This group really deserved to keep going. We never give up.”
Key Points:
Messi’s tears were driven by guilt, not joy, showing his emotional investment in the team
Despite missing a penalty, he delivered when it mattered most, assisting and scoring
The equaliser was his eighth goal of the tournament, putting him top of the Golden Boot race
He extended his record of scoring in six straight World Cup knockout matches
The win keeps Argentina’s title defence alive in what is likely his final World Cup
Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals on July 11 in Kansas City. Messi’s emotional journey continues.
Sources: Lionel Messi (post-match interview)
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