Lionel Messi is REFUSING to let go of the World Cup, writes IAN LADYMAN – as Argentina’s hero wills champions to incredible comeback victory over Egypt to keep tournament hopes alive

Deep down, he’s still the kid who doesn’t want to give up Rosario, Santa Fe.

Lionel Messi does not want to give up his career, his time and his pleasure.

As this incredible story continues to unfold in America, the greatest people most of us have ever seen certainly don’t want to give up on the World Cup.

We thought we had seen the greatest of stories on that incredible night in Qatar three and a half years ago. Messi finally captured the most cherished trophy at the age of 35 and his story appeared to be complete.

Yet here we are, and here he is, continuing to change the shape and definition of the great football game with the sheer magnitude of his genius and the sheer depth of an unquenchable competitive spirit that runs through its center like a ribbon of blue and white steel.

Here, under the roof of the World Cup stadium in Atlanta, Messi took possession of a game that appeared to be out of his country’s hands and dragged it back again. An assist of such timing, speed and brutal beauty, followed by an equalizing goal, finally broke the will and the heart of an Egyptian team that looked ready to bring us the biggest shock of the incredible World Cup.

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The Argentinian star achieved a dramatic draw against Egypt with a magnificent comeback in the last minutes.

Later, while his teammates gave their captain, leader and hero a version of the mound in front of their fans, it was possible to see Maradona’s flag-adorned face in the background. Suffice to say, he would approve.

Meanwhile, in the stands, another Argentine, Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone, wearing his once privileged home jersey, was shedding tears of relief and perhaps disbelief.

Because it really looked like Argentina was about to exit this competition.

Their exit would please Thomas Tuchel and England. Argentina is on its side in the draw. Everyone else should be happy with their continued involvement.

They have now competed for comeback victories twice. They followed Cape Verde in the last 32. But their fragility is part of Argentina’s unique charm. It has always been impossible to take away the eyes of flawed genius.

Whether Messi can continue to pull his team out of hell at his age is open to debate. It’s worth asking whether fatigue will play a role as the tournament continues. However, he is the leader in the scoring list with 8 goals and the depth of desire is obvious.

He even missed the penalty early here. Egypt, which was deep but fast against them, took the lead in the 15th minute when Yaser İbrahim headed past Manchester United’s Lisandro Martinez.

Six minutes later, Messi saved Mostafa Shobeir with a weak spot-kick to his left.

Enzo Fernandez won extra time to head home as Argentina made it to the last eight.

This was not the only intervention of the Egyptian goalkeeper. For example, the low stop made shortly afterwards to turn back Julian Alvarez’s volley was one of the saves of the tournament.

Egypt wasn’t ambitious about casting a possession spell, but they knew exactly what they were doing. Argentina had all the play and territory but looked extremely vulnerable when forced to retreat and the North Africans really looked like they had them through in the second half.

A short-half goal, led by the superb Haissem Hassan from the right wing, was ruled out after VAR detected an earlier foul on Martinez. But when Egypt repeated the trick, this time with Mo Salah heading in from midfield for Mostafa Zico to score, Egypt took a two-goal lead with just 23 minutes left in the game.

Argentina looked defeated. They didn’t create many direct chances in the second half and looked leggy and vulnerable when they didn’t have the ball.

So they needed a spark, an intervention.

It seems Messi’s later years and the time he spent playing in the lower ranks of America’s MLS have taken no toll on his energy. With the ball in his possession, he looks as unpredictable as ever. Mentally he still plays and sees the game differently than everyone else.

Cristiano Romero’s headed cross in the 79th minute was enough to change the course of the match. The equalizer from his left foot, on the other hand, was a picture of expectation, timing and power.

It was his far-post cross from the right that set everything in motion, and as the ball bounced first off an Argentinian header, an Egyptian shoulder and then off Gonzalo Montiel’s boot, Messi instinctively drifted towards where there might have been an opportunity for a half-volley and sent the ball out under the bar through Shobeir’s hands.

It was one of the greatest goals of the World Cup, both in terms of timing, meaning and execution, and when Argentina broke injury time to win the match with Enzo Fernandez’s header, another Messi chapter was written in this World Cup story.

It was heartbreaking for Egypt. They were not Paraguayans. They didn’t try to spoil this game. They tried to win fairly.

Messi is front and center once again, refusing to give up on the World Cup

Likewise, they were wrong to claim that a foul had been committed in the lead-up to Argentina’s winning goal.

There was no breach of the remote outpost as they launched their own late attack. While Argentina took control of the ball in their own penalty area and moved up the field, there was no change in Salah.

In short, it got ugly. The Egyptian bench were shown yellow cards twice. Maybe we haven’t heard the last one.

But this was again a beautiful, engaging and hugely impressive afternoon of football theatre. Messi stood front and center once again. The stage remains hers, here in Georgia and throughout the country she now calls home.

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