Lionel Messi praised the Argentinian team after the World Cup round of 16 win over Egypt, which was overshadowed by “rigged match” allegations.
Argentina and Egypt’s Tuesday, July 7, face-off for the place in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals turned dramatic after the referee's controversial decisions during the game.
Egypt dominated the field for most of the time and maintained its 2-0 lead with less than 20 minutes in the game, but team Argentina did not give up and scored three goals in 14 minutes to turn the whole picture of the game and to continue their FIFA World Cup title defense.
Lionel Messi in tears
The 39-year-old who missed a first-half penalty, becoming the first player in World Cup history to miss two spot-kicks, scored an equalizer in the 83rd minute of the match to keep Argentina’s quarterfinal hopes alive.
With extra time approaching, Enzo Fernandez scored a header from Lautaro Martinez's perfect cross at the back post in injury time, saving his team from a World Cup exit and a major upset.
The hard-earned win at the crucial stage of the World Cup leaves Messi overwhelmed, who could be seen visibly emotional and breaking down into tears after the final whistle.
Messi and his wife Antonela Roccuzzo react to Argentina vs. Egypt
Following the match that sparked “unfair” and “rigged” allegations from Egyptian players and the coach, Messi posted an Instagram carousel and praised his team for the tough fight.
He wrote, “This team never gives up. What madness today, again... This group is incredible!!! Come on.”
Inter-Miami co-founder and former England star David Beckham also reacted to the eight-time Ballon d’Or award winner’s post and commented, “Number one @leomessi.”
Lionel Messi’s wife, Antonela Roccuzzo, who was also present at the Atlanta stadium along with their sons, Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro, also penned a heartfelt post for her legendary husband.
The Argentine influencer wrote, "Go, Argentina, @leomessi. There are no words left.”
Egypt's boss accuses FIFA of favoring Messi
During the post-game press conference Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan did not hold back and openly criticsed officiating.
He told media, “We haven’t seen respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out, and a second [incident] that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the VAR. A second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed."
“I want to put it in beautiful words and say, ‘Hard luck,’ but we have been treated unfairly, and it has been an injustice… I will say what's on my mind regardless of the consequence; this was clearly a rigged match, and the whole world saw it,” he added.
Argentina vs Switzerland
Argentina will face Switzerland in a FIFA World Cup quarter-final match on Saturday, July 11, 2026. The match is set to kick off at 9:00 PM EDT (local time) at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The winner of the game will face either Norway or England in the semi-finals.
