What millions of people typed into Google right after Argentina’s World Cup comeback

Citing data released by Google, CNBC reported that the single most searched phrase immediately following the final whistle of Argentina’s dramatic World Cup comeback against Egypt was “argentina vs egypt.” As fans scrambled for context on the match and Lionel Messi’s career, Google also reported massive global spikes for several other key questions.

Among them: “Argentina x Colombia,” as fans looked ahead to the next potential matchup, along with “How many world cup goals does messi have?” and “Is it messi’s last world cup?” Google also noted a surge in fans asking the search engine for basic football rules, with thousands typing: “What is it called when a player hits another player in game?”

The queries followed a chaotic finish to the match. Trailing late, Argentina mounted a furious attack in the final 11 minutes: Cristian Romero scored to close the gap, captain Lionel Messi equalized in the 83rd minute, and Enzo Fernández scored the winning goal in the 90+3rd minute, turning a 0-2 deficit into a 3-2 win.

“Google Search broke all prior usage records and saw its highest usage in history right after Argentina scored their winning goal,” said Nick Fox, head of Google’s Knowledge and Information unit, in a post celebrating the milestone. A company spokesperson told CNBC the system recorded its highest-ever volume of “queries per second” at that exact moment, though Google did not release the precise number of users involved.