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The moment victory was secured, Lionel Messi burst into tears. Although Messi hung his head after missing a penalty kick early in the match, he went on to assist the first goal in the second half and score the equalizer, completing a historic comeback drama.

Reporter Ha Seong-nyong has the story.

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In the 21st minute, with his team trailing 1-0, Messi took a deep breath before taking the penalty kick, but the opposing goalkeeper read his direction.

Following a penalty miss in the group stage match against Austria, this marked his third consecutive tournament with a missed penalty. He also earned the unwanted distinction of becoming the first player in World Cup history to miss two consecutive penalties in a single tournament, and the record for the most missed penalties in history with four.

[Messi/Captain of the Argentina National Football Team: I was very angry with myself for missing the penalty. I felt like I had let the team down at a crucial moment.]

Afterward, the game did not go his way, with a free kick hitting the goalpost, and the team faced the brink of defeat after conceding another goal. However, the "God of Football" did not give up.

In the 34th minute of the second half, he delivered a pinpoint cross to set up Romero's goal, recording his 9th career assist and surpassing Diego Maradona to set a new record for the most assists in World Cup history. Four minutes later, he unleashed a powerful volley to score the equalizer, showing rare, intense emotion during his celebration.

Extending his record for the most goals in World Cup history to 21 and his scoring streak to 9 consecutive matches, Messi also became the first player to score in 6 consecutive knockout stage matches. With 8 goals in this tournament, he moved one goal ahead of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to take the sole lead in the race for the Golden Boot, charging toward his first top-scorer title.

When Enzo Fernandez scored the thrilling comeback goal just before the final whistle, completing a historic victory, Messi hugged his teammates one by one and shed tears of joy.

[Messi/Captain of the Argentina National Football Team: Luckily, God had something special left for me at the end, and I was able to score the equalizer and secure the comeback win. I felt a huge sense of relief and was truly happy.]

The football world responded with praise that went beyond mere admiration.

[Thierry Henry/FOX Sports Commentator: This is truly a Hollywood-like story. It is the kind of movie script that you would think could never happen in reality. But Messi completed that story. He wrote new history with his own feet.]

At 39, Messi, who also set the record for the oldest player to reach the quarterfinals in World Cup history, is pouring everything into his quest for a second consecutive World Cup title, having already achieved everything else in the sport.

(Video Editing: Park Sun-soo, Design: Lee So-jung)