Scaloni breaks down in tears and abandons interview after Argentina's stunning comeback over Egypt

Lionel Scaloni abandoned his post-match interview in tears after Argentina came from 2-0 down to beat Egypt and advance to the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The reigning champions scored three goals in little more than 10 minutes to complete a stunning turnaround, with Lionel Messi at the heart of the fightback.

When a journalist asked Scaloni how he was feeling, the 48-year-old Argentina boss — speaking in Spanish — replied: “I can’t look at you, I’m sorry. I’m too emotional, what a group of players. My brother, that’s all… I have to go, I can’t.” He then walked away from the interview, visibly overwhelmed.

Messi, too, wept at the final whistle. The 39-year-old had missed a penalty in the first half — his second spot-kick failure of the tournament — yet delivered when it mattered most, contributing a goal and an assist as Argentina erased a two-goal deficit that had looked insurmountable with 20 minutes remaining. Scaloni later singled out his captain’s mental resilience. “Messi missed a penalty but he asks for the ball again and he drives, again and again,” he said. “I get goosebumps, to be honest. This is who we are, as Argentinians. We play our hearts out.”

The scenes in Atlanta bore a striking resemblance to those that followed Argentina’s 2022 World Cup final victory over France, with Messi hoisted repeatedly into the air by team-mates as players and coaching staff embraced in the stands.

Egypt had appeared in control when Mostafa Ziko made it 2-0 in the 67th minute, and their manager was furious after the final whistle, crying “injustice” over the dramatic events that followed. Argentina’s path to this point has been far from straightforward — they also required extra time to eliminate Cape Verde 3-2 in the Round of 32 before Tuesday’s chaos in Atlanta.