Messi Rescues Argentina Again. Egypt Had Them on the Brink.

Argentina were two goals down with 11 minutes left. Messi had already missed a penalty. Egypt were 90 seconds away from the biggest upset of this World Cup.
Then Messi took over.
Argentina beat Egypt 3-2 in Atlanta on Tuesday in one of the most dramatic comebacks in World Cup history. Lautaro Martinez scored the winner in stoppage time to send Argentina into the quarterfinals.

How Egypt Nearly Did It

Yasser Ibrahim headed Egypt in front in the 15th minute from a corner. Minutes later, Argentina had a chance to equalize — Messi stepped up for a penalty and Egypt goalkeeper Shobeir dived the right way and saved it. That save kept Egypt ahead, and they made the most of it.
In the 67th minute, Ziko finished off a sharp counter-attack to make it 2-0. Shobeir had already stopped efforts from Mac Allister and Alvarez in the first half. Egypt looked in complete control.

What Changed

After the second hydration break, Argentina were different. In the 79th minute, Messi curled a cross into the box and Romero headed it in. Four minutes later, the ball fell to Messi inside the area and he struck it first-time into the net. 2-2.
Then, deep into stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez received a pass from Martinez and slotted it home on the counter. 3-2. Game over

What Messi Did

He missed a penalty in the first half. He then assisted one goal and scored another. He has now scored in six consecutive World Cup knockout matches — no player in history has ever done that.
At 38 years old, on a night when everything was going wrong, Messi found a way.

Argentina Still Have Problems

They are through, but they are not convincing. This is the second straight knockout match where they nearly went out. Against Cape Verde in the round of 32, they needed extra time. Against Egypt, they needed three goals in 11 minutes.
Their defense has been the issue. Egypt exposed them badly. Any team in the quarterfinals will look at this match and know exactly how to hurt Argentina.
The talent is still there. The question is whether Messi can keep bailing them out.
Source: ESPN, CBS Sports, Al Jazeera, Olympics.com