"They call me a crybaby," but Messi cried, and even the Argentine team shed tears of joy... The locker room was filled with 'tears of emotion' amid Argentina's miracle.

*This content was translated by AI.

Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) also cried, as did Lionel Scaloni, the Argentine coach, shedding tears. Argentina achieved a miraculous advance to the quarterfinals.

On the 8th (Korea time), Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 match at Atlanta Stadium in the United States for the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup. With this victory, Argentina continues its bid for back-to-back World Cup titles following their 2022 Qatar World Cup championship.

Argentina, considered a strong favorite to win this tournament, appeared to live up to expectations by securing three consecutive victories in Group J of the group stage.

However, once the tournament entered the knockout phase, they have been engaged in nail-biting matches. In the Round of 32, they defeated Cape Verde, making their World Cup debut, with a 3-2 victory after extra time. Cape Verde's goalkeeper, Bouchaib, who emerged as a surprise star of this tournament, pushed Messi and Argentina to the brink.

The Round of 16 also followed an unpredictable flow where victory could not be guaranteed. In fact, it seemed more likely that Argentina would lose. Argentina fell behind after conceding the opening goal in the 15th minute of the first half. Luck did not favor Messi either. He missed a penalty kick in the 21st minute of the first half, and his free-kick attempt from a distance in the 31st minute struck the post and went out.

Needing an equalizer, Argentina instead conceded another goal in the 22nd minute of the second half, falling behind 0-2. Even by the 34th minute of the second half, Argentina was trailing by two goals.

However, with just 11 minutes remaining, Argentina wrote an unbelievable miracle. At the center of it all was Messi. In the 34th minute of the second half, Messi assisted Cristian Romero's goal, shifting the momentum. Then, in the 38th minute, he scored the equalizer himself. Inside the penalty box, Messi connected with a back-pass from Lautaro Martinez (Inter Milan) and fired a left-footed shot into the net.

Argentina secured a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory when Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea) headed in a cross from Martinez in the second minute of stoppage time. Once again, Messi and Argentina survived by the skin of their teeth.

When the final whistle blew, Messi shed tears on the field while celebrating. With one additional goal today, Messi reached eight goals in the North American World Cup, taking sole possession of the top spot in the scoring standings. He also extended his all-time World Cup goal tally to 21.

The 'Argentina commander' Scaloni was equally moved by the joy. According to Reuters, he shed hot tears after the victory over Egypt. Coach Scaloni said, "I am always overwhelmed with emotion. Sometimes tears come out." He added, "There were tears in the locker room as well. The players even call me a crybaby, but I don't mind," confessing his honest feelings.

Scaloni is a former player for the Argentina national team. He played as a player for many years during his active career and led Argentina to victory at the 2022 Qatar World Cup after becoming a coach. Despite his rich experience, today's emotions were special. Coach Scaloni stated, "For us who had long playing careers, feeling such emotions again is unbelievable." He also said, "I think most coaches who are former players become coaches because of days like this, these emotions, and this adrenaline."

Coach Scaloni reflected that the match against Cape Verde was more difficult. He explained that although they were trailing 0-2 in the Egypt match, they had faith that they could turn it around until the end. He said, "The Cape Verde match was worse. We looked really struggling then. Today, even while trailing 0-2, I felt that an opportunity would come eventually and we could turn the game around."

Coach Scaloni also praised 39-year-old captain Messi. He said, "I am convinced that Messi plays football for moments like this," and added, "It is hard to explain that he feels such emotions at this stage of his career."

He continued, "It was an unforgettable moment. One of the best moments," emphasizing, "No matter what happens in the future, this team gives the feeling that they never lose faith even when everything goes against them."

Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarterfinals. Switzerland drew 0-0 with Colombia for 120 minutes including extra time in their Round of 16 match before winning 4-3 on penalties. The Argentina-Switzerland quarterfinal match will be held on the 12th at Kansas City Stadium in the United States.

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*This content was translated by AI.