Argentina's Messi conjures stoppage-time magic to sink Egypt in World Cup thriller

The holders looked dead and buried. Egypt had controlled the opening hour at Mercedes-Benz Stadium through a Yasser Ibrahim header and a Zico second-half strike that appeared to have ended Argentina's tournament ambitions.

Then Lionel Messi—who had just squandered a second penalty of the competition—changed the script entirely. The 39-year-old captain crossed for Cristian Romero to nod in at the 79th minute before lashing a half-volley past Mostafa Shobeir three minutes later to level.

Emotions shifted in an instant. Messi was in tears during his celebration, according to Sky Sports, having faced what looked like an ignominious exit. But the Argentine captain provided the spark that ignited his teammates. Enzo Fernandez then crashed a header home from Lautaro Martinez's cross in the 90+2nd minute to complete the turnaround.

There was controversy: Egypt believed a Zico goal earlier in the second half should have stood after being disallowed for a foul on Lisandro Martinez, and they felt the winning goal involved a foul on Mohamed Salah in the build-up. Neither was given.

For Argentina, it was an outrageous escape—a team that appeared to be collapsing suddenly reborn through sheer emotion and Messi's intervention when all seemed lost.