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According to data specialist Opta, after his miss against Austria from the spot, Messi became the player with both the most penalties taken at a World Cup (7) and the most missed (3), excluding shootouts. Against Egypt, he faltered once more, thwarted by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. With this latest penalty miss, the Argentine forward further extended his unenviable record. Of his eight penalties, Messi has now missed half (4).
It was, in any case, a particularly bad moment for the forward to miss a penalty. Argentina found themselves trailing against Egypt and now face an uphill battle to reach the next round. Following a challenging match against Cape Verde, the South Americans are once again finding things tough.
First Penalty Miss of This World Cup
Messi had previously missed penalties at the World Cup against Iceland (2018) and Poland (2022). He did convert four times from the spot: against Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Croatia, and France. The ball hitting the wrong side of the post against Austria was only the first penalty missed in this World Cup, excluding Harry Kane's re-taken penalty against Croatia.
Once again, Messi demonstrates that he is certainly no penalty specialist. Yet, due to his status and standing, he remains the designated player to step up from 11 meters for Argentina. The big question is whether he will take the next penalty if the South Americans are awarded another, or if he will defer to a teammate.
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