Messi sets unwanted penalty record then scores equaliser as Argentina stun Egypt 3-2
Lionel Messi set an unwanted World Cup record but later scored a crucial goal as Argentina staged a dramatic late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in their Round of 16 match on Tuesday.
Messi became the first player to miss two penalties in a single World Cup, excluding shootouts, after Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir saved his first-half spot kick.
Argentina were awarded the penalty in the 21st minute after Enzo Fernández was fouled by Haissem Hassan inside the box.
Messi stepped up with a chance to level the match, but Shobeir denied him.
The miss added to Messi’s difficult record from the penalty spot at the World Cup. According to Opta, Messi has taken eight penalties in regulation time in the tournament and has missed four of them.
He had earlier missed a penalty against Austria in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Messi also missed a penalty against Iceland in the 2018 World Cup and failed to convert from the spot against Poland in the 2022 tournament.
Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan is the only other player to have missed multiple penalties across a World Cup career, doing so in 2006 and 2010.
Despite the miss, Messi remained central to Argentina’s comeback.
Argentina scored three times in the final 13 minutes to overturn the match, with Messi scoring the equalizer in the 83rd minute.
He had also hit the post earlier in the match when Egypt were leading 1-0.
Messi’s goal extended his scoring run to nine consecutive World Cup matches, dating back to Argentina’s title-winning campaign in 2022.
He has scored 13 goals during that nine-match run.
The goal took his tally at the 2026 World Cup to eight, putting him one ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland in the Golden Boot race.
Messi also moved two goals clear of Mbappé on the all-time World Cup scoring chart.
The match also reflected a wider penalty trend at the tournament. According to Opta, players have converted 32 of 49 penalties at the 2026 World Cup, a success rate of 65.3%, the lowest since 1966.
Argentina’s late win sent the defending champions into the next round and kept Messi on course for both the Golden Boot and another deep World Cup run.