India, July 8 -- Lionel Messi had the chance to draw Argentina level before half-time when he stepped up to take a penalty. But his left-footed effort was brilliantly saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, and silence descended over the Atlanta Stadium. For Messi, though, the bigger battle was internal. It was the second penalty he had missed for Argentina at this World Cup, and for a brief moment, it felt as though he had let his country down.

But Messi refused to let that miss define his night.

When Argentina needed him the most, trailing 2-0 and staring at a shock Round-of-16 exit, their captain found another gear. He ignited an extraordinary comeback by scoring the equaliser just before the end of regulation time, before Enzo Fe...