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ATLANTA — It is going to end, but he was not going to let it end like this.Lionel Messi is playing his last World Cup. He may not win it. But he will not be going out in the round of 16. He made sure of that. Even after Egypt scored once. Scored twice. He was not going to allow this to be his curtain call. The show continues. Argentina is into the quarterfinals thanks to a 3-2 win over Egypt. Messi's story is not yet over.Plenty of players have the will, the desire to continue on in a tournament. Messi has the ability to actually make it happen, a talent that seems to bend the match to his will, even one like Tuesday's when everything was going against him and the Albiceleste.Well, maybe not everything. Egypt thought it had extended its lead in the 58th minute, only for the goal to come back after VAR because of a foul that started the breakaway on the complete opposite end of the pitch. Even so, the North African side found a second goal to build a lead it hoped was big enough to deny Messi and Argentina.That hope dimmed in the 79th minute when Messi set up Cristian Romero for a header the centerback nodded in to get Argentina on the board. Seconds later, Messi danced down the right flank, somehow getting into the box past a defender and setting up Lautaro Martinez. His shot went woefully wide.The hope stayed alive.But it was totally dead in the 83rd minute. Messi played a pass into the box for Enzo Fernandez, who played it across the face of goal. Gonzalo Montiel, the penalty hero in the 2022 final, controlled the ball enough to do what Argentina does in almost every mission critical scenario: Get the ball to Messi.Messi fired with his first touch, once again using that magnificent left foot to beat Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir, who could touch but not stop the ball. Messi had drawn Argentina level, 2-2, with extra time to come ... or not.Messi is older now. He plays differently.And on the third goal, the Argentina winner that meant they wouldn't even need extra time to complete their incredible comeback, Messi was more coach than contributor. As Julian Alvarez won the ball back, he looked at Messi. Rather than a run, he saw a pointing finger: Play the ball to Lautaro Martinez.That is exactly what he did. Martinez set up Fernandez, who headed it in. Messi had more than enough in his legs to join the celebration.The questions for the next week, perhaps longer, will be if he has enough in those legs to do this again — or if Argentina can put together three more performances that won't require this much of Messi, that won't push him to the limit again like Egypt and Cape Verde before them. A performance that moves him to tears not because the story nearly ended but because it concluded with the happiest ending of all.For now, Messi can rest his body and can rest easy in the knowledge that the journey continues. The story is not over. Argentina should've been eliminated from the World Cup on Tuesday in Atlanta, but Messi didn't let that happen.
