That was incredible. Spectacular. Argentina were down and out. They were out of the tournament at one point. Egypt are so frustrated with the refereeing decisions that have gone against them. Then Lionel Messi just stepped in and took over. Beautiful assist, great finish for his goal, and then the substitutions worked for Argentina.

What this means for the road ahead

Argentina now face either Switzerland or Colombia in the quarter-finals. Lurking in the background for England — who may have briefly dreamed of a clearer path to the final when Egypt led — is the familiar shadow of Messi and a side that combines brilliance with an iron refusal to lose.

Manager Lionel Scaloni's squad are more than just Messi, it must be said, with quality throughout the team. But where Messi is, hope follows — as Egypt, and perhaps England, know all too well.

At 39, Messi already faces questions about whether the next World Cup, to be played in his home country, could beckon. For now, those questions can wait. Instead, he was tossed into the air by jubilant team-mates, his tears long since replaced by joy — another extraordinary chapter written in the ongoing, seemingly limitless story of his career.