Lionel Messi added another surprising chapter to his tale FIFA World Cup On Tuesday, he became the first player in the history of the game to score in six consecutive games as Argentina staged a stunning comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 and reach the quarter-finals.The 39-year-old, who missed a penalty in the first half, made a remarkable comeback by scoring in the 83rd minute before Enzo Fernandez completed a stunning stoppage-time conversion. Argentina trailed 2-0 until the 79th minute, becoming the most recent team to score two or more goals and come back to win the World Cup in regulation time.
Messi has rewritten the World Cup history books
Messi’s strike was high on several levels. According to Opta, he became the first player in FIFA World Cup history to score in six consecutive games, proving his consistency in football’s biggest game.The Argentina captain extended yet another incredible record by scoring in nine consecutive World Cup matches, the most in the tournament’s history.His goal was the eighth of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the highest number by any player through the team’s opening five matches in one tournament since the great Gerd Müller of Germany scored 10 in 1970. It also took Messi’s World Cup tally to reach the record of 21.The strike also saw him match Argentina’s Guillermo Stábile’s record of eight goals in a single World Cup, which was first set in the opening game in 1930.Even though he missed the penalty in the evening, Messi still made another professional team. He became Argentina’s second after that Diego Maradona to win, complete five slow drops and make five or more chances from open play in the World Cup.Ironically, the missed penalty added another unnecessary layer of history. Messi became the first player to miss two penalties in one World Cup (excluding shootouts) and now has four penalties missed in his World Cup campaign – the most of any player in the history of the game.
Argentina produced another notable escape
For a long time, Argentina’s title defense seemed to be over.Yasser Ibrahim gave Egypt an early lead before Mostafa Zico doubled the lead in the 67th minute. Egypt had another goal after a VAR review, leaving Lionel Scaloni’s side on the brink of elimination.Cristian Romero sparked the revival with a sublime header in the 79th minute before Messi brought Argentina back four minutes later, sending the crowd into delirium. By stoppage time, Fernandez completed one of the greatest feats of World Cup knockout action.Messi, who appeared to be affected by the final whistle, kept Argentina’s dream of retaining the World Cup alive. The defending champions now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals, with their captain proving once again that when the performances are high, they continue to make history.
