On a day destined for World Cup folklore, Lionel Messi dragged Argentina from the brink of elimination and into the quarterfinals, while Switzerland quietly authored a record of their own.

Argentina trailed Egypt 2-0 with a quarter of an hour to play, staring at one of the great upsets. Instead, they produced the most dramatic turnaround ever by a reigning champion in a World Cup knockout match, winning 3-2 thanks to Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time header. No defending champion had previously come back from two goals down to win inside regulation.

At the heart of it all was Messi, who continues to bend World Cup history to his will. His goal made him the first player to score in six consecutive knockout matches at the tournament, spanning two editions. It also took his tally for this World Cup to eight, pushing him past Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race and matching Guillermo Stábile’s Argentine record for goals in a single tournament.

Messi’s influence went far beyond the scoresheet. He became the first man to miss two penalties in World Cup play yet still dominate a match, recording 12 touches in the Egyptian box and creating six chances. Only once, against Poland, has he been more active in the area. Statisticians now credit him with 14 goal contributions in World Cup knockout games, surpassing Mbappé and leaving Diego Maradona behind in the assist charts with a record nine.

His all-round display echoed Maradona’s iconic 1986 performance against Belgium: Messi is now only the second player to both score, complete at least five dribbles and create five or more open-play chances in a World Cup match. He also logged his third knockout game with at least one goal and one assist, more than any player since his debut on this stage.

Argentina’s surge has been relentless. They are unbeaten in 11 World Cup matches and have scored multiple goals in each of their last 11, tying Uruguay’s long-standing record. Remarkably, eight of their goals this tournament have come after the 76th minute, equalling West Germany’s mark for late strikes in a single edition.

Earlier, Switzerland edged Colombia on penalties after a sterile 0-0 draw that produced just 13 shots and 0.70 expected goals combined. The shootout win sent the Swiss to their first World Cup quarterfinal since 1954, ending a 72-year wait – the longest gap between quarterfinal appearances in the competition’s history.