Messi misses another World Cup penalty, sets record for most missed, but Argentina rallies past Egypt

Missed penalty and unwanted record

Lionel Messi stepped up in the 21st minute with Argentina trailing 1-0 after Yasser Ibrahim's 15th-minute header. His spot kick was saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir, marking the fourth penalty miss of Messi's World Cup career. No other player has missed more at the tournament. The Argentine had already set the record earlier in the 2026 group stage when he failed to convert against Austria.

Messi's previous misses came against Iceland in the 2018 group stage and against Poland in 2022. Across nine World Cup penalties, he has scored five, according to FIFA statistics. The miss against Egypt was his second of this edition.

Argentina's comeback

Despite the early deficit and the missed penalty, Argentina recovered. The team scored three unanswered goals to win 3-1 and secure a quarterfinal berth. Details of the comeback goals were not immediately available, but the victory kept alive Messi's hopes of a second World Cup title in what is his sixth tournament.

Messi's tears

After the final whistle, Messi broke down in tears. Reports from the stadium described him as overwhelmed, with emotions spilling out partly because he felt guilty for the missed penalty. The sight of the 39-year-old crying after a hard-fought win underscored the pressure he carries.

All-time scoring leader

The missed penalty did little to dim Messi's place atop the World Cup's all-time scoring list. With 20 goals, he leads Kylian Mbappé (19) and Miroslav Klose (16). Messi surpassed Klose's previous record of 16 earlier in the tournament with a double against Austria.