Lionel Messi: First player to miss two penalties in same World Cup. The Argentina captain achieved this unwanted record during his team’s round-of-16 match against Egypt in Atlanta on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. At 39 years old, Messi saw his 20th-minute spot-kick saved by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, who guessed the correct direction and pushed the ball away.
This was Messi’s second penalty miss at the 2026 World Cup. Earlier in the tournament, he sent a penalty wide against Austria. Interestingly, both misses occurred on the same side—against Austria he failed to hit the target, and against Egypt his shot was saved. Speaking on ITV commentary, Jon Champion described it as an unwanted World Cup record.
With this latest miss, Messi has now failed to convert 34 of 150 career penalties, giving him a 77 percent success rate. At World Cups, he has missed four of eight penalties, converting only half. Against Austria, he used a delayed run-up before shooting wide. Against Egypt, he struck the ball powerfully, but at a comfortable height for Shobeir to save.
Earlier, Egypt took the lead in the 15th minute through Yasser Ibrahim, who headed a cross past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez. Egypt led 1-0 at halftime, putting the defending champions on the back foot. This marked a surprising turn for Argentina, who rely heavily on Messi’s leadership and scoring ability. The record shows that even the greatest players face challenges, and this World Cup has been particularly tough for Messi from the penalty spot.