Lionel Messi endured another frustrating moment from the penalty spot after failing to convert a spot-kick during Argentina’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16 clash against Egypt on Tuesday. The missed opportunity not only denied Argentina an early equaliser but also saw the World Cup-winning captain register an unwanted record in the tournament’s history.

Argentina fell behind in the 15th minute when defender Yasser Ibrahim headed Egypt into the lead. Just six minutes later, the defending champions were handed a golden opportunity to level the score after Nicolás Tagliafico was brought down inside the penalty area.

As expected, Messi stepped up to take the penalty. However, Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed correctly, diving low to his right to produce a superb save and preserve his side’s advantage. The miss was Messi’s second penalty failure of the 2026 FIFA World Cup after he also failed to convert from the spot against Austria during the group stage.

More significantly, it took his tally of missed penalties in FIFA World Cup matches (excluding penalty shootouts) to four, the highest by any player in the competition’s history.

Before this tournament, the record stood at two missed penalties, jointly held by Asamoah Gyan and Messi himself. The latest miss now puts the Argentine captain alone at the top of that unwanted list. Despite the record, Messi continues to be one of the most prolific players in World Cup history, holding several scoring and appearance milestones for Argentina.

While Messi’s miss grabbed headlines, the credit also belonged to Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who delivered an outstanding performance under pressure.

The shot-stopper reacted sharply to deny Messi from the spot before producing another brilliant save moments later to stop Alexis Mac Allister from close range. Messi also came agonisingly close with a powerful long-range strike that rattled the post as Argentina searched desperately for an equaliser.

Argentina entered the Round of 16 aiming to become the first nation since Brazil (1958 and 1962) to win back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles. Lionel Scaloni made three changes to his starting XI, recalling Julián Álvarez, Leandro Paredes and Nicolás Tagliafico for the knockout clash.

Egypt, meanwhile, arrived full of confidence after reaching the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history and made an ideal start by taking an early lead through Yasser Ibrahim. With the match finely poised after Messi’s missed penalty, Argentina faced an uphill task as they looked to keep their World Cup title defence alive.