Overview
- Egypt went ahead in the Round of 16 when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from a Marwan Attia corner about 15 minutes into the match on Tuesday.
- Minutes later Argentina were awarded a penalty but Lionel Messi’s low strike was saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, leaving Argentina 1-0 at halftime.
- Messi still leads the tournament scoring race with seven goals and holds the all-time World Cup scoring record from the group stage, even as his penalty record suffered a second miss in this edition.
- Opta and multiple reports note Messi is the first player to miss two penalties in a single World Cup edition (excluding shootouts), a rare statistical contrast to his overall career conversion rate.
- The result increases pressure on Argentina after their extra-time win over Cape Verde and raises questions about recovery, rotation and whether the 39-year-old will continue at the international level beyond this tournament.