Antonela Roccuzzo, wife of Argentine star Lionel Messi, has sent an emotional message to her husband following the comeback that saw Argentina defeat Egypt 3-2 and advance to the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, in a match that produced one of the tournament's most thrilling encounters.
Argentina had been on the brink of a round-of-16 exit, trailing by two goals with no reply until the final minutes, before turning the result around by scoring 3 goals in 13 minutes to keep alive the dream of defending their title.
Antonela, who attended the match from the stands of the Atlanta stadium alongside the couple's three sons Thiago, Mateo, and Ciro, marked the victory on her Instagram account, posting photos of the family wearing Argentina national team shirts.
She accompanied the photos with a short message to her husband, writing: "Let's go Argentina… there are no more words," expressing the emotions that accompanied the win after the "Tango" side had appeared close to exiting the tournament.
When the referee blew the final whistle, Messi could not hold back his tears, visibly moved by the comeback that rescued Argentina's run in the competition.
Several teammates rushed to embrace him before the mood transformed into scenes of jubilation across the pitch.
Egypt had opened the scoring early through Yasser Ibrahim, before Messi squandered an equalising opportunity after goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir brilliantly saved a penalty.
In the second half, Mustafa Abdel Raouf "Zizo" extended the Pharaohs' lead with a second goal, placing Argentina in an extremely difficult position.
But the Argentine side hit back strongly: Cristian Romero reduced the deficit with a header in the 79th minute, Messi then equalised in the 83rd minute, before Enzo Fernández snatched the winner in stoppage time to send the holders into the quarter-finals.
Since their marriage in 2017, Antonela Roccuzzo has made a point of supporting Messi at his most significant footballing milestones, both at club and international level, while their three sons have become familiar faces in the stands at Argentina matches.
Following this victory, the Argentine national team are preparing for a new challenge in the quarter-finals, as Messi's dream of retaining the World Cup title remains alive, buoyed by the unwavering family support from the stands.