2026 World Cup: Lionel Messi discusses his missed penalty against Egypt

Egypt will not be in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup. And yet, Mohamed Salah's teammates delivered a heroic performance against Argentina, leading 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining in regulation time.

Lionel Messi and his teammates took advantage of the Pharaohs' mental collapse to get back into the game and win this match (3-2).

It's a bitter defeat for the Egyptians, who were so close to achieving a remarkable feat. They couldn't weather the storm in the final moments of the match.

"I think if I had scored, the match would have been different."

Facing them was an Argentinian team that displayed exceptional mental strength. They also boasted a genius named Lionel Messi. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner, in fact, scored the equalizing goal.

Had it not been for the Egyptians' mental collapse, he would certainly have had a poor game. It's worth remembering that he missed a penalty early in the match, which greatly displeased him.

"I was really angry after that penalty. Very disappointed to have missed again. I think if I had scored, the game would have been different," he told the press at the final whistle.

"It's special to be able to help this group after what happened."

The star then praised the Egyptian goalkeeper's "incredible saves" on Argentina's "clear chances," not without expressing his delight at finally finding the back of the net.

“Fortunately, in the end, the ball came back to me, I was able to hit it with my left foot and it went in. It’s special to be able to help this group after what happened,” said La Pulga.