Lionel Messi missed a penalty. Then he missed another one. Then, with Argentina staring down the barrel of an all-time World Cup humiliation, he did what he’s done for two decades: he got up, dusted himself off, and broke Egypt’s hearts anyway. Tonight in Kansas City, the 39-year-old GOAT gets his next test — a stubborn, streetwise Switzerland side that just knocked out Colombia on penalties. And yes, if it comes to spot-kicks again, Messi is still taking them. His coach made that very clear.
The Wobble That Almost Wasn’t
Let’s rewind. Argentina went into the Round of 16 against Egypt as heavy favorites, and for a while it looked like a disaster in the making. Yasser Ibrahim headed Egypt in front, and then came the moment everyone’s still talking about:
Messi stepped up to level things from the penalty spot and Egyptian keeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed right, palming it away. It was Messi’s second penalty miss of the tournament, after Austria — making him the first player in World Cup history to miss two non-shootout penalties in a single edition. His career conversion rate from 12 yards dropped to 65% at this World Cup alone, part of a tournament-wide slump from the spot that’s the worst since 1966.
Egypt doubled their lead to 2-0 with 11 minutes left. Argentina looked cooked. And then Messi decided the story wasn’t over.
The Comeback That Will Define This World Cup
Cristian Romero pulled one back. Then Messi — still fuming, by his own admission — found the equalizer himself, sprinting to the corner flag to unleash pure release. “I was feeling intense anger because of the penalty I wasted,” he said afterward. “But fortunately, God had something special in store for me once again.”
Enzo Fernández completed the miracle with a stoppage-time header, and Argentina walked away 3-2 winners in what might be remembered as the signature moment of Messi’s farewell World Cup. He cried at the final whistle. So did Scaloni, who later admitted his players tease him for being “the crybaby” of the group.
Still His Ball, His Call
So naturally, the big question heading into tonight: does Messi still take the penalties? Scaloni didn’t hesitate. “It wouldn’t even cross my mind to go and tell him not to,” the Argentina boss said this week. “We have players who can take them, but he’ll take it if he wants to… let him do whatever he wants out on the pitch.” It’s the kind of unwavering faith earned by 21 career World Cup goals — the most in tournament history — and eight goals already at this edition alone, keeping him one clear of Mbappé and Haaland in the Golden Boot race.
Enter Switzerland
Standing in the way tonight: a Swiss side that ground out a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Colombia after 120 goalless minutes, with keeper Gregor Kobel the hero. They’re disciplined, hard to break down, and back in the quarterfinals for the first time since they hosted the tournament in 1954. No fairytale run gets easy from here.
Kickoff is 9 p.m. ET at Arrowhead Stadium. Whatever happens, expect drama — because at this World Cup, Messi simply doesn’t know how to make it boring.
