Argentine football player Lionel Messi once again reminded the soccer world that he is the Greatest of All Time in a knockout battle against Egypt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 7.

As Argentina heads into the World Cup quarterfinals following a thrilling comeback, the victory drew reactions from across the sports world, including the Dallas Cowboys legend Dez Bryant, who shared a strong message for Messi. 

"Messi the goat for real…,” Dez Bryant wrote on his X post.

Argentina beat Egypt (3-2) in the Round of 16 of the FIFA 2026 World Cup, with Messi scoring two goals during the critical second half of the game.

Egypt scored a goal in the 15th minute, right off the bat, proving to be a tough competitor for the reigning champions.

Messi scored his 21st career World Cup goal, the most by any player in World Cup history, in an equalizer in the 83rd minute to level the match at 2-2.

Earlier, he also delivered a pinpoint cross for Christian Romero to score, cutting the team's deficit to 2-1 at the 79th minute.

Messi made his ninth career assist at the tournament, ranking above Diego Maradona, who previously held the record of eight assists.

He is placed at the top of the Golden Boot race after his eight goals overall in the tournament.

The match was overturned during the second half as Argentina scored all three goals within 14 minutes, with Enzo Fernández scoring a goal in the 92nd minute, according to Fox Sports.

Lionel Messi reacts to Argentina's historic rally

Messi shared his thoughts on reaching the World Cup quarterfinals after a knockout match against Egypt, where Messi missed a penalty in the first half against the goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir.

"Honestly, what the group did today was crazy," Messi said after the match to the reporters, per Jon Arnold, USA Today. "They turned around a 2-0 deficit in a World Cup knockout match, with how this World Cup has been going as well, where nobody gifts you anything."

The goal Fernández scored in the end was the 3,000th in World Cup history, which secured a 3-2 comeback victory for Argentina.

"It’s really difficult to get in, to put together a goal," Messi said, per Jon Arnold, USA Today. "This group has shown once again that it competes, it never gives up, it tries until the end, and today it turned a doubt around. It’s what it always shows: that it competes until the end."

The final whistle left Messi visibly emotional as Argentina secured its place in the quarterfinals. The Albisceleste will look to place themselves in the semifinals by defending their title against Switzerland on Saturday, July 11, in Kansas City.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi