Atlanta [US], July 8 : Following his side's remarkable comeback win against Egypt in the round of 16 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup, Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni was overwhelmed with emotions, admitting to getting emotional in the changing room. He also hailed the 39-year-old icon Lionel Messi, saying that the World Cup-winning icon "plays the sport for moments like these".
From being 2-0 down in the 67th minute to scoring three goals within 13 minutes to secure an unforgettable win and a spot in the quarterfinal, the Argentina camp faced a variety of emotions: fear, acceptance that the game was gone, hope, more hope, joy and finally a sense of relief. Following the clash, Messi was seen shedding tears of joy. It was no different for Scaloni, who was at the helm in the 2022 winning campaign.
Speaking to reporters as quoted by Reuters, he said, "I always get emotional. Sometimes the tears come out. The tears came in the dressing room too. The boys even call me 'the cry baby,' but I do not care."
"For all of us who played soccer for 20 years, to feel what we felt today again is incredible. I think most coaches who played soccer become coaches because of days like this, because of those emotions, that adrenaline," he added.
Scaloni said that despite the deficit, he never felt that the game had completely slipped away, saying, "I always felt the game was on our side. Beyond the result, I don't think the team was playing badly. We had chances."
The head coach also said that the performance was a massive improvement over their performance against debutants Cabo Verde, which stretched till the 120th minute, and Argentina came out on top 3-2 due to an own goal eventually.
"Against Cape Verde, it was worse, we really looked in trouble. Today, even when it was 0-2, the feeling was that at some point we would get a chance and could turn it around. Today we played totally different soccer," he said.
Scaloni reserved some high praise for Messi, who found the back of the net despite missing a penalty in the first half and was in tears after such a remarkable comeback, securing a goal and an assist in the match, taking his current WC goal tally to eight and his all-time tally to 21 goals.
"I am convinced that he plays soccer for moments like this... For him to feel these emotions at this stage of his career is hard to explain," Scaloni said.
"It was an unforgettable moment, one of the best. Whatever happens from here on, this team gives me the feeling that it never stops believing, even when everything is going against it," he signed off.
Coming to the match, Egypt stunned Argentina in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from Marwan Attia's corner. Argentina had an immediate chance to respond after Nicolas Tagliafico won a penalty, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir denied Lionel Messi from the spot.
Shobeir continued his impressive display by saving efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi also struck the crossbar with a free-kick as Egypt held a 1-0 lead at half-time.
Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage early in the second half through Mostafa Ziko, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review. The Pharaohs were not to be denied for long, however, as Ziko finished off a swift counterattack in the 67th minute after good work from Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan to make it 2-0.
Argentina responded with renewed urgency after introducing attacking reinforcements. Cristian Romero reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, heading in Messi's inviting free-kick.
Just four minutes later, Messi levelled the contest with a powerful strike from the edge of the box that found the net after clipping the goalkeeper's gloves and the underside of the crossbar.
With extra time looming, Argentina completed their remarkable turnaround in stoppage time. A loose ball fell kindly to Enzo Fernandez on the edge of the penalty area, and the midfielder calmly slotted a low finish into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory. The win sends Argentina into the quarter-finals, where they will face the winners of the Round of 16 clash between Switzerland and Colombia on July 8.