‍‍`We didn‍‍`t want today to be the end,‍‍` says Messi

Lionel Messi said the tears he shed after Argentina‍‍`s dramatic 3-2 victory over Egypt were born out of relief, as the defending champions fought back from two goals down to reach the World Cup quarter-finals.

Argentina were on the brink of a shock exit after Egypt established a 2-0 lead and Messi had earlier missed a first-half penalty.

The 39-year-old, however, inspired a remarkable turnaround. His cross helped Cristian Romero pull a goal back before Messi levelled the score with his eighth goal of the tournament. Enzo Fernandez then struck the winner in stoppage time to complete the comeback.

"I think it was a release, a relief for everyone," Messi said after the match. "At 2-0, it was a very difficult moment."

The Argentina captain admitted his side feared their World Cup campaign could come to an abrupt end.

"We wanted to stay in the tournament. We didn‍‍`t want today to be the end or to go home," he said.

Messi described the comeback as one of the team‍‍`s greatest displays of character, saying Romero‍‍`s goal changed the momentum of the match and renewed the players‍‍` belief.

"Once we scored, everyone felt we could come back. Fortunately, we managed to equalise and then win it. It was incredible what this group achieved," he said.

The victory sends Argentina into the quarter-finals, where they will face either Colombia or Switzerland, while Messi‍‍`s 21st World Cup goal moved him back to the top of the race for the tournament‍‍`s Golden Boot.