Argentina’s World Cup defence was four minutes from collapse when Lionel Messi, having earlier missed a penalty, swept in the equaliser that sparked a 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in Atlanta. The round-of-16 tie had seemed lost after Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico gave the Pharaohs a two-goal lead, and a VAR review disallowed a third for Egypt. Cristian Romero’s 79th-minute header halved the deficit, then Messi struck from open play before Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround deep into stoppage time. It was the latest a team has ever been two or more goals behind and still won a World Cup knockout match in regulation time.

Viewed from Buenos Aires, the goal carried historic weight. Messi’s eighth of the tournament equalled Guillermo Stábile’s Argentine record for a single World Cup, set in 1930, and extended his all-time tournament tally to 21 — a mark that leaves him two clear of Kylian Mbappé and well beyond Miroslav Klose’s previous benchmark. European statisticians note he has now scored in nine consecutive World Cup appearances, a streak stretching back to the 2022 group stage, and became the first player to find the net in six successive knockout-stage matches. The missed penalty, his second of this edition, also gave him the unwanted record of four career World Cup spot-kick failures, the most of any player.

Across the Atlantic, the Golden Boot race tightened behind him. Mbappé converted a penalty in France’s 1-0 win over Paraguay to reach seven goals, while Erling Haaland’s double that eliminated Brazil took Norway’s striker to the same tally. Harry Kane, with six after a penalty against Mexico, remains in contention. A chasing pack on four goals includes Ousmane Dembélé, Mikel Oyarzabal and Jude Bellingham, all still active, while eliminated players such as Vinícius Júnior, Julián Quiñones and Ismaïla Sarr cannot add to their totals.

With the quarter-finals set to begin, the scoring charts reflect a tournament in which the game’s biggest stars have delivered. Messi’s eight goals have come against five different opponents, and his all-round display against Egypt — five dribbles completed, five chances created — evoked comparisons in the South American press to Diego Maradona’s 1986 influence. The defending champions now face Switzerland, while France, Norway and England also remain in the hunt, ensuring the battle for the Golden Boot will be decided in the final week of the competition.