Lionel Messi in tears after Argentina’s biggest World Cup exit sent them into the quarter-finals

Argentina won the thrilling round of 16 match, beating Egypt 3-2. Lionel Messi was visibly overcome with emotion and shed tears of joy at the end of the match. (AP photo) Lionel Messi could not contain his emotions at the final whistle as Argentina staged a sensational late comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 in the last 16. After watching old rivals Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar suffer painful exits in previous matches, the Inter Miami star shed tears of joy as the reigning champions secured their place in the quarter-finals.At the final whistle, after confirming Argentina’s victory over Egypt, he let go of all tension and burst into tears, as if he had already won everything in football, as if nothing else mattered, or as if it was the first time.The match had everything. Trailing 2-0 with just over ten minutes remaining, Argentina were staring down one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. And then Messi took over. He made it 2:1 with Cristiano Romero’s header. He scored himself four minutes later, a clinical finish that made him the first player in history to score in six consecutive World Cup knockout matches. Then Enzo Fernández headed home Lautaro Martínez’s cross in stoppage time to complete a comeback that left the footballing world speechless.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi reacts to winning the World Cup Round of 16 against Egypt. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Lautaro Martínez summed it up perfectly after the match. “He deserved to cry,” he said of Messi. “Because he is our example, our guide, the one who helped us the most.”For Messi, the images of his emotional celebration will be the defining moment of this World Cup, illustrating that despite all his success, the hunger to win with his country remains as strong as ever.Ronaldo cried after the defeat in Dallas 24 hours ago. Neymar was in tears the night before after the defeat in New Jersey. On Tuesday in Atlanta, Messi cried in victory, and the difference between the two sets of tears tells you everything about where he stands over them all at the moment.The dream of back-to-back World Cups lives on. Messi is alive. And the image of the best soccer player who ever lived on the grass in Atlanta with tears streaming down his face is already a photograph of this entire tournament.