Lionel Messi's Fitness Check Ahead of Argentina vs Egypt
Lionel Messi faces a late fitness check as Argentina turn their attention to Egypt and a World Cup last‑16 tie loaded with jeopardy and intrigue.
The world champions arrive in Atlanta bruised, relieved and still somehow driven by the man who refuses to slow down. At 39, Messi played every second of a wild 120-minute contest in Miami, where Argentina were pushed to the brink by Cape Verde and needed extra time – and a stroke of fortune – to escape.
Messi battered, but still central
Messi took a blow to the head during that chaotic 3-2 win at the Hard Rock Stadium, a collision that left Argentina’s staff watching him closely even as he stayed on. He never came off, never hid, and still produced the moment that settled early nerves.
With 29 minutes gone, the captain did what he has done for almost two decades: he opened the scoring, easing the tension for Lionel Scaloni’s side and the thousands of Albiceleste shirts in the stands. It looked, briefly, like the champions had the night under control.
Cape Verde had other ideas.
Deroy Duarte dragged the underdogs level and forced extra time, turning a supposed formality into a test of Argentina’s nerve. When Lautaro Martinez struck in the second minute of extra time, it felt like the pressure had finally told and the holders would ease away.
They didn’t. Sidny Lopes Cabral equalised again, and the panic flickered back into Argentine eyes.
Only in the 111th minute did the tie finally break. A Diney own goal, cruel on Cape Verde, rescued Argentina from the prospect of penalties and pushed them into the last eight, where Egypt now wait in Atlanta.
Messi finished the night with a goal, a knock to the head and a question mark over his condition. He will be assessed again before kick-off, but everything about his competitive instinct in Miami suggested he will do everything possible to start.
Medina scare and Scaloni’s settled core
Messi is not the only concern. Facundo Medina was forced off late on, sparking fears of a muscle problem after his heavy workload down the flank.
Scaloni later moved to calm those worries, explaining that the defender had been pushed hard in both directions and simply ran out of gas. It was cramp, not a more serious injury, and Medina is expected to be available.
“He finished very tired because we also used him quite a bit in attack,” Scaloni said. “He ended up cramping, but he’s okay.”
That reassurance matters, because Argentina’s coach has quietly locked in what looks very much like his first-choice XI for this tournament, a side built on familiarity and a strong Premier League spine.
Emi Martinez of Aston Villa remains the undisputed No1, the penalty hero of old now the calming presence behind a defence marshalled by Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez at the heart of a back four that has grown together on the biggest stages.
Across midfield, Scaloni has leaned on industry and intelligence out wide rather than traditional wingers. Rodrigo De Paul and Thiago Almada, both natural central midfielders, patrol the flanks in this version of Argentina’s 4-4-2. De Paul brings his usual mix of aggression and running, while Almada, operating more like a classic No10 starting from wide, offers the creative angles and final pass.
Up front, the picture is clear. Messi and Lautaro Martinez are the chosen partnership, the blend of genius and penalty-box instinct that Scaloni trusts when the margins tighten. That leaves Julian Alvarez – Atletico Madrid’s wantaway forward and a World Cup winner in his own right – watching from the bench, a luxury option few other nations can match.
Argentina survived a scare in Miami. Now comes Egypt, a different kind of opponent, a different kind of tension. The champions know they cannot live that dangerously again. The question, as ever, is whether their greatest player is ready to drag them through one more time.
