Messi Missed a Penalty Against Egypt. He Still Won the Game.

Lionel Messi had a chance to level things early against Egypt in the Round of 16 and missed it. Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir guessed correctly and turned away his 21st-minute spot kick, moments after Yasser Ibrahim's header had put the Pharaohs ahead. It was Messi's second missed penalty of this World Cup, making him the first player in tournament history to miss two in a single edition, according to Fox Sports. FOX Sports

That's the headline people will remember. It shouldn't be the one that matters.

Argentina trailed 2-0 before scoring three unanswered goals from the 79th minute, with Messi netting his tournament-leading eighth to pull them level before Enzo Fernández headed in the winner, per NBC News' live coverage of the match. Final score: 3-2, Argentina through to the quarterfinals. NBC News

Missing from the spot doesn't erase what came after. Messi kept getting into positions to hurt Egypt, kept demanding the ball, and scored the goal that turned the game. Speaking after the match, he admitted the miss left him "very angry" but said the result was what mattered, per Bolavip. Bolavip

Penalties are a coin flip that elite players win more often than most. Messi's career conversion rate still sits at a respectable clip, and one bad night from 12 yards against a well-drilled goalkeeper doesn't rewrite that. What defines him at 39, still doing this on the sport's biggest stage, isn't the miss. It's that Argentina were losing with twenty minutes left and he refused to let that be the story.