Atlanta [US], July 8 : Following his side's remarkable comeback win over Egypt in their round of 16 FIFA World Cup clash, Argentina skipper Lionel Messi hailed his team, saying that "they never give up and is in an incredible group".
The match in Atlanta marked another instant classic at the ongoing FIFA World Cup. The defending champions were 2-0 down in the 67th minute, but three goals in 13 minutes from Cristian Romero, Messi and Enzo Fernandez stunned the fans watching live and at their homes as Argentina booked their quarterfinal spot with a showstopping performance.
Posting on Instagram, Messi wrote, "This team never gives up. Today is crazy, again... this group is INCREDIBLE!!! Let's go"
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Messi continued his monumental streak in the FIFA World Cup, as he extended his record of scoring in a World Cup match to nine successive matches.
Messi is now the first-ever player to score in nine successive FIFA World Cup matches. With his strike in the 83rd minute, he has taken his goal tally in the ongoing FIFA World Cup to eight goals, his most productive World Cup ever in terms of goals and extended his newly-made record of highest goals in the tournament's history to 21 goals.
As per OptaJoe, Messi has also become the first-ever player in tournament history to score in six successive knockout stage matches.
He also levelled with the record of Guillermo Stabile (1930) for most goals in a single FIFA World Cup edition by an Argentina player with a total of eight each.
Also, he joined late Argentina icon Diego Maradona to become the second player to score, produce five-plus dribbles and five open play chances in a FIFA World Cup match, putting on a remarkable well-rounded performance despite a penalty miss.
Earlier, having missed a penalty in the first half, Messi showed us that despite the 'God' status given to him by billions of his fans, he is a human being after all, becoming the first player to miss two penalties in a single World Cup edition (excluding the shootouts). Messi has missed four penalties in the FIFA World Cup throughout his career, the most by any player.