Argentina team captain Lionel Messi missed a golden opportunity to bring his side level in the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the round of 16 match. After failing to convert from the penalty spot, Argentina trailed Egypt 1-0 at halftime.
Egypt took the lead in the 15th minute when defender Yasser Ibrahim scored with a superb header from a corner delivered by Marwan Attia. The early goal put the reigning world champions under pressure.
Argentina had a chance to equalise six minutes after conceding. In the 21st minute, the referee awarded a penalty after Nicolas Tagliafico was fouled inside Egypt’s penalty area. Messi stepped up to take the spot kick, but Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobier dived to his left and made an excellent save to deny the Argentine captain.
It was Messi’s eighth penalty in World Cup history. He has now missed four of those penalties. It was also his second penalty miss in the current tournament. Earlier, he had failed to convert a spot kick against Austria in the group stage.
For Mostafa Shobier, it was his second penalty save of the tournament. Earlier in the group stage, he also denied Iran’s Mehdi Taremi from the penalty spot.
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