For an hour against Egypt, Lionel Messi looked like a man being dragged towards the exit door of the World Cup. Argentina were two goals down, their captain had missed yet another penalty, and the reigning champions were staring at humiliation. The narrative felt cruelly familiar: the ageing genius, finally overtaken by time.

Messi’s evening had begun in torment. His saved spot-kick, his second miss of the tournament from twelve yards, seemed to drain belief from both him and his team. Passes went astray, free-kicks sailed harmlessly over, and one wild effort flew into the stands. Egypt sensed vulnerability and pounced, Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico striking to give them a stunning 2-0 lead.

Argentina’s play grew frantic. Messi was repeatedly dispossessed, crowded out in central areas, shoved off the ball by defenders who suddenly looked ten feet tall. For a player whose career has been defined by control, this was chaos he could not tame. The comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo’s own tearful World Cup exit hovered over the contest like a ghost.

Then, almost imperceptibly, the game tilted. Lautaro Martinez’s introduction pushed Messi wider to the right, away from the congestion. Out there, he found oxygen. With space to receive and turn, the old rhythm returned to his touch, the old menace to his dribbles.

In the 79th minute, he delivered. A precise cross picked out Cristian Romero, who powered in the header that halved the deficit and ignited belief. Minutes later, Messi slalomed through red shirts, a darting run that nearly brought an equaliser for Martinez. Suddenly, Egypt were the ones clinging on.

The leveller arrived with brutal, timeless simplicity. Hovering at the edge of the box, Messi pounced on a loose ball and lashed a half-volley that the goalkeeper could only help into the roof of the net. Technique, nerve, and instinct fused in a single swing of his left foot. Argentina were level; the stadium shook.

Deep into stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez’s header completed a 3-2 turnaround that will live in World Cup folklore. Pundits like Roy Keane hailed Argentina’s “streetfighter” spirit, but at its heart was a 39-year-old refusing to accept the limits of his own body or the script being written for him.

Time remains undefeated. Yet on this night, Messi bent it back for just long enough to keep a dream alive.