Lionel Messi has bared his soul regarding the immense emotional toll of Argentina's dramatic 3-2 Round of 16 victory over Egypt.
iconic Argentine captain was seen in floods of tears at the final whistle after inspiring a historic late comeback to keep the reigning world champions' title defence alive.
Overcoming Penalty Heartbreak and Guilt
The legendary playmaker revealed that his post-match tears were initially fuelled by deep personal anguish over a first-half penalty miss.
The failure made him the first player in football history to miss two spot-kicks at a single World Cup tournament, as Egypt capitalised on the error to build a shocking 2-0 lead.
"I cried because I felt that I let my teammates down because of the penalty I missed… and the way I took it," Messi admitted, highlighting the immense weight of expectation resting on his shoulders before the late turnaround saved their campaign.
Messi Redeemed by Historical Record-Breaking Triumph
Despite the agonising blunder, the little genius completely redeemed himself by taking absolute control of the match in the final ten minutes.
He delivered an inch-perfect cross for Cristian Romero's header, marking his ninth World Cup assist to officially surpass Diego Maradona's all-time tournament record, before smashing home the equaliser himself just four minutes later.
Enzo Fernández then sealed the historic victory with a stoppage-time header, prompting Messi to add, "but thankfully once again, God had something special for me in the end. I’m very happy."
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