Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni admitted he was overwhelmed with emotion after his team’s 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt on Tuesday, describing the moment as one that brought him to tears alongside Lionel Messi. The defending champions twice found themselves chasing the game, but responded from 2-0 down to secure a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Argentina were staring at a surprising exit with just 11 minutes left when Cristian Romero got them on the scoresheet. Messi then levelled things, before Enzo Fernandez struck a decisive goal in stoppage time to complete a dramatic turnaround and deny Egypt an upset.
“I always get emotional. Sometimes the tears come out,” Scaloni told reporters. “The tears showed up in the dressing room as well. The boys even joke that I’m ‘the cry baby,’ but I don’t mind.”
“For everyone who has played football for about 20 years, to experience what we felt again today is incredible. I think most managers who played the sport end up in coaching because of days like this—those emotions, that adrenaline,” he added.
Scaloni insisted that, even after Egypt built a two-goal advantage, he never felt Argentina’s fate was sealed.
“I always believed the game was on our side. Beyond the scoreline, I don’t think the team was playing badly. We created chances,” he said.
Looking back on the turnaround, the coach pointed to a clear step forward from Argentina’s previous match, when they required extra time to beat Cape Verde 3-2 and had shown signs of strain in a tough physical encounter.
“Against Cape Verde it was worse—we genuinely looked in trouble. Today, even at 0-2, the sense was that at some point we’d find our opening and could swing it around,” Scaloni said. “We played completely different football today.”
Scaloni also heaped praise on captain Messi, who is 39 years old. Messi missed a penalty in the first half, yet he was later seen crying after driving the comeback with both a goal and an assist.
“I’m convinced he plays football for moments like this… It’s difficult to explain what it means for him to feel these emotions at this stage of his career,” Scaloni said.
“It was an unforgettable moment—one of the best. Whatever happens next, this team gives me the belief that it never stops fighting, even when everything seems to be going against it,” he concluded.
