Argentina vs Egypt: Messi's Fitness Check Ahead of World Cup Clash
Lionel Messi faces a late fitness check as Argentina turn their attention to a World Cup last‑16 showdown with Egypt, with the holders still catching their breath after surviving a wild extra‑time scrap against Cape Verde.
Messi bruised, but still central
The 39-year-old captain took a blow to the head during that chaotic 3-2 win in Miami, yet stayed on for the full 120 minutes at the Hard Rock Stadium, the same city where he now plays his club football with Inter Miami. He didn’t just endure it. He shaped it.
Messi opened the scoring on 29 minutes, easing Argentina into what looked like a routine night against supposed minnows. It never was. The contest twisted and frayed, the world champions dragged into a dogfight few expected.
Deroy Duarte hauled Cape Verde level and forced extra time, the tension in Miami rising with every Argentine misstep. Lautaro Martinez seemed to restore order almost immediately in the second minute of extra time, only for Sidny Lopes Cabral to strike again and rip away the comfort.
The pressure finally told. With penalties looming and nerves beginning to fray, Diney turned into his own net in the 111th minute, a cruel, decisive touch that sent Lionel Scaloni’s side staggering, rather than striding, into the last eight. Egypt now await in Atlanta, Georgia.
Medina scare eases
There was another scare buried inside that drama. Facundo Medina was forced off, sparking concern on the Argentina bench. Scaloni later clarified the issue was cramp, the product of a heavy workload on both sides of the ball.
“He finished very tired because we also used him quite a bit in attack,” Scaloni said. “He ended up cramping, but he’s okay.”
With knockout football unforgiving and the schedule relentless, “okay” will have to do.
Scaloni’s core takes shape
While the Cape Verde tie exposed nerves, it also underlined how settled Scaloni has become with his preferred XI.
Emi Martinez, Aston Villa’s penalty-box enforcer and Argentina’s enduring last line, remains undisputed No1. In front of him, Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez anchor the defence, a snarling, aggressive pairing that defines much of the team’s edge without the ball.
Across midfield, Scaloni leans on industry and intelligence out wide rather than traditional wingers. Rodrigo De Paul, a natural central midfielder, and Thiago Almada, more at home as a No10, operate from the flanks in this version of Argentina’s 4-4-2, tucking in, rotating, and feeding the front line.
Up top, the plan is clear. Messi and Lautaro Martinez are the chosen partnership, the captain dropping into pockets, Lautaro running the channels and attacking the box. Julian Alvarez, the Atletico Madrid forward keen on a move away, waits in reserve, a luxury option on the bench rather than a guaranteed starter.
So the champions move on: bruised, a little breathless, but still standing. Egypt in Atlanta will ask different questions. The real one is simple enough — how many more times can this group, led by a 39-year-old genius, keep finding a way?
