Lionel Messi once again rocked the football world with his spectacular performance that took Argentina through to the quarter-finals.
Messi’s five minutes, four minutes and nineteen seconds, to be exact, delivered the Messi magic in the Round of 16 against Egypt on Tuesday 7 July.
It was Messi’s stunning net and an assist for Argentina against Egypt that kept the reigning champions’ hopes alive in the tournament.
In pure Messi magic that lasted 259 seconds, Lionel Messi delivered the goods in a three-act masterclass that proved he is the ultimate best footballer on earth right now. Let’s find out.
Act I: The Cross in 79 minutes
Until the 79th minute crossed and Lionel Messi came on, it looked like the GOAT were having a challenging time so far in the tournament.
With Egypt leading 2-0, Argentina at this stage looked unlikely to get back into the game.
Messi, just 15 seconds after the throw-in, found the ball heading home to him.
An inch-perfect cross landed on Cristian Romero’s head. Argentina 1, Egypt 2.
Act II: The dribble (82′)
Messi received the ball on the touchline, his boots skimming the chalk to roll back the years.
It was a recall of 2011 in Atlanta.
Just four minutes later, the Argentina captain made up for his earlier penalty miss and equalized in a frantic sequence.
Act III: The End (83′)
The decisive blow came deep in stoppage time.
Lautaro Martinez’s frantic delivery towards Enzo Fernandez, who netted a header deep into stoppage time to seal the triumph.
These three actions summed up the Messi magic: a cross, a run, a net.
259 seconds of a completely magical moment that sent fans into a frenzy globally.
Although it was Enzo Fernandez who scored the final goal, there was no debate required after seeing complete Messi magic in his five-minute burst that helped Argentina cross the line.
