Argentina’s thrilling comeback victory over Egypt in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 drew praise from across the football world, with Sweden legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic reserving special admiration for Lionel Messi after another match-defining display.The defending champions looked on the verge of a shock exit after falling 2-0 behind in the 67th minute. But Argentina responded in stunning fashion, scoring three goals in 13 minutes through Cristian Romero, Messi and Enzo Fernandez to secure a dramatic 3-2 win and book their place in the quarter-finals.Despite missing a first-half penalty, Messi once again delivered when it mattered most, scoring the crucial equaliser before inspiring Argentina’s late turnaround.Speaking on Fox Sports after the match, Ibrahimovic said Messi elevated his game when his team needed him the most.“He became an animal, and nobody could catch him. He just went on, went on and…, and this is the one I saw, we are used to seeing, and we are still seeing. So, you can also see how emotional he is, how much it means to him. Remember, he already won this World Cup. He already won a lot of trophies, a lot of Ballon d’Or, FIFA Player of the Year. Everything. I can sit here and just give his CV and… and it looks perfect, but he still wants it. He still wants it and that’s impressive. Look at him.”Messi’s goal also saw him continue an extraordinary run at football’s biggest tournament.The Argentina captain has now scored in nine consecutive FIFA World Cup matches, becoming the first player in tournament history to achieve the feat. His strike against Egypt was his eighth goal of the ongoing edition, making it his highest-scoring World Cup campaign.The goal also extended Messi’s all-time World Cup record to 21 goals and made him the first player to score in six successive knockout matches at the tournament.The 39-year-old also equalled Guillermo Stabile’s long-standing Argentina record of eight goals in a single World Cup edition, first set in 1930.Beyond the goal, Messi delivered another complete attacking performance. He became only the second Argentina player after Diego Maradona to score, complete at least five dribbles and create five or more chances from open play in a World Cup match.It was an especially memorable display considering the difficult start to his evening. Messi saw a first-half penalty saved, becoming the first player to miss two penalties in the same World Cup edition, excluding shootouts. Across his career, he has now missed four penalties at the FIFA World Cup, the most by any player in the competition’s history.Even after that setback, however, Messi once again proved decisive, helping Argentina produce one of the greatest comebacks in World Cup history and keep alive their hopes of defending the title.
