Lionel Messi extends unwanted record during Argentina vs Egypt; List of penalty misses by Argentinean in FIFA World Cups
Lionel Messi became the first player to miss two penalties in a single edition of the World Cup. After Messi missed one against Austria in the group stages of the FIFA World Cup 2026, he missed another against Egypt in a round of 16 clash.
Lionel Messi extended his unwanted record of penalty misses in the FIFA World Cups, when the Argentinean saw his shot from the spot saved during their round of 16 clash against Egypt at the Atlanta Stadium on Tuesday. The golden chance for Argentina came in the 21st minute after Haissem Hassan brought Nicolas Tagliafico inside the box.
Messi stepped up for the penalty kick and shot on the right. Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir jumped to his right to deny the eight-time Ballon d'or winner. This was Messi's second penalty miss in this World Cup - first player to do so in a single edition (excluding shootouts).
Earlier, Messi saw his penalty saved during their group-stage game against Austria. In the process, Messi extended his World Cup penalty miss to four out of eight he shot from the spot. Meanwhile, Argentina scripted one of best comebacks in World Cup history to beat Egypt in round of 16.
Down by 0-2 by the 67th minute, Argentina scored three goals inside 13 minutes to book a place in the last eight. Christian Romero started the comeback with a 79th minute strike, before Messi's left-footed shot went inside the net four minutes later.
Enzo Fernandez's 93rd minute header confirmed Argentina's win. Argentina will either take on Colombia or Switzerland in the quarterfinal. Messi also became the first player in World Cup history to score in six consecutive knockout stage matches.
Lionel Messi's World Cup penalty record
| Year | Opponent | Goalkeeper | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Iceland | Hannes Halldorsson | Saved |
| 2022 | Saudi Arabia | Mohammed Al-Owais | Scored |
| 2022 | Poland | Wojciech Szczesny | Saved |
| 2022 | Netherlands | Andries Noppert | Scored |
| 2022 | Croatia | Dominik Livakovic | Scored |
| 2022 | France | Hugo Lloris | Scored |
| 2026 | Austria | Alexander Schlager | Saved |
| 2026 | Egypt | Mostafa Shoubir | Saved |
What happened in first half?
Earlier, defending champion Argentina trailed Egypt 1-0 at halftime. Yasser Ibrahim scored with a header in the 15th minute to give Egypt a surprise lead at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Messi missed the chance to level the match when his penalty was saved by goalkeeper Shobeir.
Messi also hit the post with a long-range free kick and Julian Alvarez thought he had put Argentina back into the match shortly before the break but his effort was pushed away by Shobeir. Argentina is bidding to become the first back-to-back World Cup champion since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
The three-time champions were given a scare by Cape Verde in the last round, needing extra time to win 3-2. Egypt has already made history by advancing to the round of 16 for the first time, having failed to get beyond the group stage on its four previous appearances.
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