Lionel Messi could not contain his emotions at the final whistle as Argentina staged a sensational late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16. After watching old rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar suffer painful clashes in previous games, the Inter Miami star shed tears of joy as the reigning champions secured their place in the quarter-finals.At the final whistle, after Argentina’s victory over Egypt was confirmed, he let out all his tension and burst into tears as if he had not already won everything in football, as if nothing else mattered, or as if it was the first time.The match had everything. Argentina trailed 2-0 with just over ten minutes of regulation remaining, setting up one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. And then Messi took his place. I set up Cristian Romero’s header to make it 2-1. He scored four minutes later, a clinical finish that made him the first player in history to score in six consecutive World Cup knockout games. Enzo Fernandez then headed home Lautaro MartÃnez’s cross in stoppage time to complete a comeback that left the football world speechless.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi reacts after their World Cup Round of 16 win over Egypt. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Lautaro MartÃnez summed it up perfectly after the match. “He deserved to cry,” he said of Messi. “Because he is our example, our guide, the one who helped us the most.”For Messi, the images of his emotional celebration will serve as a defining moment of this World Cup, illustrating that even after all his success, the hunger to win with his country remains as strong as ever.Ronaldo had cried in defeat in Dallas 24 hours earlier. Neymar had cried in defeat in New Jersey the night before. On Tuesday in Atlanta, Messi cried in victory and the difference between those two sets of tears tells you everything about where he stands above everyone at this moment.The dream of a consecutive world cup is alive. Messi is alive. And that image of the greatest football player who ever lived, flat on the Atlanta grass with tears streaming down his face, is already the photograph of this entire tournament.