Lionel Messi missed a crucial penalty kick Tuesday, leaving Argentina trailing Egypt 1-0 at halftime in their World Cup Round of 16 match. The early deficit for the reigning champions was compounded by the missed opportunity in the 21st minute.
Egyptian goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed correctly and leaped to his left, saving Messi's shot. The penalty had been awarded after Haissem Hassan of Egypt challenged Nicolás Tagliafico aggressively in the box.
This marks Messi's second missed penalty of the current World Cup. He also missed a penalty during Argentina's 2-0 victory over Austria, a match in which he scored both goals. According to broadcast information, Messi is the first player to miss two penalty kicks in a single World Cup.
Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring for Egypt in the 15th minute with a header.
Messi, who expressed frustration over his previous penalty miss against Austria, is statistically strong in penalty kicks, having converted 78 percent of his attempts throughout his career. This places him below the conversion rates of elite players like Cristiano Ronaldo (84 percent), Zlatan Ibrahimović (91 percent), and Harry Kane (86 percent).
Despite the penalty struggles, Messi remains the World Cup's all-time leading scorer with 20 goals in 30 matches and has scored seven goals in the current tournament. Argentina now faces the challenge of overcoming a deficit against a strong Egyptian squad led by Mohamed Salah.