Although Argentina entered the match as the clear favorite, they conceded a surprise goal to Egypt in the opening minutes. With a great chance to score from the penalty spot, Lionel Messi missed his shot, squandering the opportunity to tie the game. Argentina were clear favorites against Egypt, arriving in excellent form after a string of consecutive victories. Nevertheless, they have not been very solid defensively, leaving several spaces open, as happened against Cape Verde. Taking advantage of those mistakes, Egypt scored an early goal. However, Lionel Scaloni’s team had a great chance to equalize from the penalty spot, but they surprisingly missed the spot kick.
After conceding the opening goal, Argentina lost much of their control of the match. Nevertheless, they produced a brilliant counterattack down the left flank, relying on their pace. After winning a foul inside the penalty area, the referee awarded a penalty to Lionel Scaloni’s team. Although Messi has been one of the tournament’s top scorers, he struck his effort toward the right side, but it was saved by Mostafa Shobeir Oufa.
MESSI’S PENALTY KICK IS SAVED BY SHOBEIR 🤯 pic.twitter.com/oAUkHrLGWO— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 7, 2026
Lionel Messi has already missed two penalties at the 2026 World Cup, becoming the first player in the tournament’s history to do so. As a result, the veteran has now accumulated four missed penalties in World Cup history, excluding shootouts, according to Guinness World Records via X. In addition, he is not having his best match, as he has been limited by the opposition’s tight marking.
*Developing story…