"There's nothing to say about Messi. A fantastic player. At 39 years old, participating in his 6th World Cup, he still shows intense passion for the Argentina national team jersey, fighting, crying, and once again, deciding the fate of the match," wrote Rivaldo, the 1999 Ballon d'Or winner and 2002 World Cup champion with Brazil, on Instagram on the evening of 7/7.

Teammates celebrate Messi after Argentina's 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, US on 7/7/2026. Photo: AP

At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Argentina experienced a highly emotional match. In the first half, they allowed Yasser Ibrahim to open the scoring for Egypt with a header, before Messi missed a penalty. In the second half, Mostafa Ziko even tapped in from close range following a counter-attack, extending the lead to 2-0 for the African team.

However, in the final 15 minutes, Argentina scored three consecutive goals with Messi making a significant impact. The 39-year-old forward crossed for Cristian Romero to head in, narrowing the deficit, then volleyed a one-touch shot off the underside of the crossbar to level the score at 2-2. In the 3rd minute of stoppage time, substitute forward Lautaro Martinez crossed for Enzo Fernandez to head into the far corner, completing the comeback.

Shining in this match, Messi set two records: most goals (21) and most assists (9) in World Cup history. Kylian Mbappe (19 goals) and Diego Maradona (8 assists) rank behind him in each statistic, respectively.

Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring in Argentina's 3-2 victory over Egypt, in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup on the evening of 7/7.

According to Rivaldo, Argentina displayed a resilient fighting spirit, an intense will to win, and dedication from every player in a challenging match. He affirmed his love for Brazil and his support for the national team. However, the former Barcelona star also believes that competition is part of football, and admiration is due for a great match and a team that gave their all. "Matches like these add value to football and deserve to be seen at the World Cup. Congratulations to Argentina on reaching the quarterfinals," Rivaldo added.

Rivaldo is a Barcelona legend, having won two La Liga titles and the 1999 Ballon d'Or, alongside the 2003 Champions League with AC Milan, the 1999 Copa America, and the 2002 World Cup with Brazil. Meanwhile, Messi has achieved almost everything possible in football, including eight Ballon d'Or awards, six European Golden Shoes, four Champions League titles, 10 La Liga titles with Barcelona, two Ligue 1 titles with PSG, an MLS Cup with Inter Miami, two Copa America titles, a CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions, and the 2022 World Cup with Argentina.

Beyond the football world, stars from other fields also praised Argentina. Tom Brady, American football legend and New England Patriots star, wrote on X after the match: "Yeah, maybe this game will top 28-3," referring to a historic comeback.

The 28-3 score Brady referenced occurred when the New England Patriots began their comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl, the American football championship game, in 2017. The Atlanta Falcons led 21-3 in the first two quarters, then extended their lead to 28-3 with just 8 minutes 31 seconds left in the third quarter. When this quarter ended, the New England Patriots narrowed the deficit by six points, and the Atlanta Falcons' chances of winning were still 99,8%.

However, in the fourth quarter - the final regulation quarter - Brady and his teammates continuously scored to tie the game at 28-28, forcing the Super Bowl into overtime for the first time. They continued to score in overtime and won 34-28. The 2017 final is considered the greatest Super Bowl of all time and the greatest game in NFL history.

In the quarterfinals, Argentina will face Switzerland. Should they win, the reigning champions will advance to the semifinals to meet England or Norway. The other two quarterfinal matches in the bracket are France vs. Morocco and Spain vs. Belgium.

Lionel Messi equalized at 2-2 in Argentina's 3-2 victory over Egypt, in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup on the evening of 7/7.

Thanh Quy (Source: Instagram)