Finally, the game is over. After 96 minutes of emotionally draining football, Argentina have beaten Egypt 3-2 and have booked their spot in the Quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This game has broken down many of us emotionally, it has broken down Lionel Messi as well.

“LIONEL MESSI IN TEARS AT FULL TIME,” wrote a fan after the full-time whistle was blown, and we could see Lionel Messi cry uncontrollably.

Lionel Messi stood on the pitch in tears after Argentina completed an unforgettable 3-2 comeback win against Egypt in the Round of 16. And those were not just tears of relief after reaching another World Cup quarterfinal with Argentina.  

Argentina trailed 2-0 until the 78th minute before producing one of the tournament’s biggest comebacks. But this emotional moment carried even more weight because Messi went through some difficult personal days during this World Cup.

For long periods of the game, Argentina looked completely out of answers as Egypt defended bravely and punished every mistake. Messi even missed a first-half penalty before Zico doubled Egypt’s lead in the 67th minute.  

But everything started changing when Lionel Messi delivered a perfect cross for Cristian Romero, and the defender headed it into the net in the 79th minute. Just five minutes later, Messi himself came up clutch and scored the equalizer, putting Argentina on level terms and scoring his 8th goal of this World Cup.

That goal completely changed the atmosphere inside Atlanta Stadium, and we could see the belief on the players’ faces. Props to Egypt as they fought till the end.

But Enzo Fernández arrived with a header in the 90+2 minutes after Lautaro Martínez delivered a dangerous cross into the box. Argentina had turned a 2-0 deficit into a remarkable 3-2 win. 

Those final minutes demanded everything from Messi, who continues carrying Argentina despite turning 39. The cameras also captured supporters crying because everyone was emotionally relieved after being down for most of the game. 

Lionel Messi celebrated with teammates before emotions finally caught him after referee François Letexier blew the final whistle. It felt like every difficult moment from this match had finally caught up with Argentina’s captain. 

Those emotions also made sense because Messi had shown similar feelings after beating Algeria in the group stage.  

Reports later revealed his father, Jorge Messi, was recovering from a health issue during the competition. His family confirmed the situation while requesting privacy. After another exhausting comeback win, everything simply became too much, and Messi finally let those emotions flow freely.