{"id":6387,"date":"2026-07-07T22:14:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=6387"},"modified":"2026-07-07T22:14:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T22:14:58","slug":"lionel-messi-is-inevitable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/?p=6387","title":{"rendered":"Lionel Messi Is Inevitable."},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            POPULAR SEARCHES\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"subnav-title ff-ffc bold fs-23 lh-25 uc pd-b-10\">\n            BROWSE BY\n          <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Inevitable is such a special word.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>It is the definition of the unavoidable, the inescapable, something where, no matter what you try and do, you simply cannot prevent the outcome. It is the wall of fate crushing against you, without hope or desire.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>But the word\u00a0<i>inevitable<\/i> is also about the eternal because it is the ultimate act of strength that lives forever in the psyche of the recipient, knowing that what\u2019s about to happen, will indeed occur and not only can you not stop it, you will never forget it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>That\u2019s Lionel Messi. Eternal. Inevitable.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span>(Photo by Ian MacNicol\/Getty Images)<\/span> <\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The Argentina captain led his team to a remarkable, almost unbelievable comeback as the defending champion was 2-0 down against a heroic Egypt and achieved the ultimate <i>remontada.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>It was the performance of a man who, at 39 years old, does not know how to end a chapter. But I will also say that, Messi aside, this was also about his teammates and how their intoxicating efforts to unite and overcome adversity shined through. Messi was their hero, but this victory took an army to support him.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>More on that in a moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>On Tuesday in Atlanta, Egypt and Mohamed Salah \u2014 a legend in his land and beyond \u2014 fought like warriors and had this been a fairer story, perhaps we would have seen them as victors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Hossam Hassan\u2019s side deserved something out of this grueling battle. And there is an argument to be made about its disallowed goal and how it should have stood based on the run of play. But regardless, Egypt did score again and created a 2-0 lead, thanks to some mesmerizing counter-attacking work from the aforementioned Salah and Haissem Hassan, who quite literally gave it his all.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Then there\u2019s the talking point of the actual performance. Argentina, once again \u2014 just like Cape Verde poetically highlighted and exploited \u2014 was not good. It lacked so much fluidity, and Messi was also struggling against a resilient defensive line and missed a penalty attempt, making him the first player in World Cup history to miss two penalties in a single tournament (outside of shootouts).\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Egypt, leading 2-0, was staring at only 10 minutes remaining until it could reach its greatest ever victory and a historic spot in the quarterfinal stage. It could almost open the doors to the promised land. It was there for the taking, and had it ended in such a manner, no one would have criticized the win. We would have accepted the outcome, even Argentinians.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span>Mohamed Salah and Lisandro Martinez batted for possession during the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/span> <!--&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>In fact, it was already accepted as towards the latter stages of the match, before Argentina scored the first goal, you could practically hear a pin drop from the Argentina faithful. They had almost understood the outcome. They had welcomed the ending.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Argentina was about to lose its right to defend its World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>But that\u2019s not how Messi operates. He doesn\u2019t accept a script he doesn\u2019t author, and once again, as consistent as the sunrise or the sounds of an ocean, the inevitable happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>He rose.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>After dazzling inside the box over and over again in the second half, albeit with no outcome, the first uppercut finally came through in the 79th minute, as his assist for Cristian \"Cuti\" Romero\u2019s goal became the first sign of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The crowd stood again, screaming and chanting, knowing life had returned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The inevitable was slowly creeping behind the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Four minutes later, the ball pinged around inside the box, and Gonzalo Montiel rescued it to find Leo, who smashed it in after bouncing off the crossbar. This is when the stadium actually vibrated and shook with a pulsating heart as Argentina was level.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The narrative of the story is also about the heroes we don\u2019t remember, and that includes Leandro Paredes, who made a crucial stop from an Egyptian counter. Moments later, Lautaro Mart\u00ednez found Enzo Fern\u00e1ndez for the winner, and just like that, Argentina had climbed the mountain and planted its flag.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The whistle blew. An emotional Messi began to cry. His teammates rallied around each other, consoling his emotions and celebrating his accomplishments.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>Messi\u2019s tears were not just about the physical and mental extremities that were necessary in order to create this incredulous evening of pure magic. The tears also represented the fact that he was still alive, both at this World Cup and in the arms of his beloved Argentina.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>The emotion represented the exhaustion as we all witnessed, once again, an unforgettable match. A tale for the ages. A story that will continue as Lionel Scaloni\u2019s side continues to defend its title.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>By the end, the sentiment was so beautifully vivid for every Argentinian and most notably, Lionel Messi. By the end, they tossed him in the air to celebrate a victory that will live with them forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"ff-h fs-16 lh-1pt6 mg-b-15 article-content\" data-v-a2155f14>If you ask me, I think that the tears, the emotions, the sacrifice, the undying raw display of tired catharsis \u2014 all of it is just the proverbial residue of something much stronger at play: the inevitability of Lionel Messi.<\/p>\n\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>POPULAR SEARCHES BROWSE BY Inevitable is such a special word. It is the definition of the unavoidable, the inescapable, something where, no matter what you try and do, you simply cannot prevent the outcome. It is the wall of fate crushing against you, without hope or desire. But the word\u00a0inevitable is also about the eternal [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":6386,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/play-live.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}