From despair to ecstasy in 13 minutes.
Argentina’s remarkable comeback against Egypt confirmed the champions' mentality and their determination to carry Lionel Messi all the way, but it also raised fresh doubts over whether heart alone will be enough to win this World Cup.
No strangers to suffering, the Albiceleste found themselves walking a tightrope for the second consecutive match on Tuesday against another unexpected opponent. Having needed extra time to see off Cape Verde, they trailed Egypt 2-0 until the 79th minute, to the despair of their supporters in Atlanta.
According to Opta, the reigning champions' chances of winning the match had fallen to just 0.6 percent before extra time.
But in 13 unforgettable minutes, Messi set up Cristian Romero for Argentina's first goal before scoring the equaliser himself. Enzo Fernández then sparked wild celebrations at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and across Argentina by completing the comeback in the second minute of stoppage time.
No team had ever recovered from a 2-0 deficit with so little time remaining in a World Cup match, but Argentina refused to let Messi's tournament story come to an end.
The diminutive number 10 himself sensed just how close the end had come – the emotions overwhelmed him at the final whistle as he broke down in tears of relief.
Once again, this close-knit Argentina squad showed they have no intention of abandoning their idol, a sentiment echoed in the dressing-room celebrations.
"We won the third with Lionel. We want to be champions again," the players sang to the tune of their new team anthem, ‘La cuarta estrella’ ("The Fourth Star"). "For the Malvinas, for Diego [Maradona], for Leo's last one... Argentina, we want to see you crowned champions again."
Heart
Messi "is our guide, our reference point, our leader," Lautaro Martínez, who provided the assist for the winning goal, told reporters afterwards. "We'll keep giving everything for ourselves, but above all for him, because this is his last World Cup and he's given us so much."
The tears in Atlanta were not Messi's first with Argentina. Throughout the previous decade he shed many in frustration after a series of near misses, including defeats in the 2014 World Cup final and the 2015 and 2016 Copa América finals.
But that squad, burdened by three decades without a major trophy, has given way to a new generation with a bulletproof mentality that is now unbeaten in 11 World Cup matches.
Ever since their cathartic Copa América triumph in Brazil in 2021, Argentina's players have been convinced they are unbeatable as long as they can protect the man they regard as the greatest player in history.
"Football is tactics and strategy, but it's also about heart," head coach Lionel Scaloni said, playing down the role of tactical planning in Tuesday's comeback.
"It's pointless saying we won because I brought on Lautaro, who was involved in every goalscoring situation. Who wouldn't have brought him on at 2-0 down? You don't have to be Einstein," he said.
Living dangerously
Caught up in the outpouring of relief and joy, Argentina's players lifted Messi into the air, an image few would have expected before a last-16 tie against Egypt.
Yet, in the absence of consistently convincing football, the Albiceleste have become accustomed to living dangerously before even facing any of their main rivals in the defence of their world title.
Scaloni overhauled his tactical approach against Egypt, pushing Julián Álvarez to the tip of the attack and handing control of midfield to his trusted holding player Leandro Paredes, allowing Enzo Fernández and Alexis Mac Allister greater freedom to break into the box.
None of it worked and Argentina were left waiting for Messi's inevitable intervention, accepting that all their hopes rest on the 39-year-old's body holding up through this gruelling World Cup.
The tournament's leading scorer with eight goals, Messi has had to rescue Argentina in every match, yet there have so far been few calls for self-criticism despite the repeated brushes with elimination.
"When you see your team playing well and doing what the game demands, you feel calmer," Scaloni said on Tuesday, after an entire nation had been left on the brink of a heart attack.
Now, it’s onto the Kansas City Stadium, where Switzerland await for a clash in the World Cup quarter-finals.
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by Guillermo Barros, AFP
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