Could EVA 00 have started 3rd impact in Tears/Rei III if it hadn't self destructed?

[Riptide]

While rewatching Rei III, seeing Eva 00 morph into Rei with the halo right before exploding made me think of 3rd impact. Then I realized that it had fused with Armisael and thus had the gift of life via the S2 engine, along with the soul of Lilith it already had. Are all the requirements satisfied here? Was Eva 00 morphing into Rei with the halo the beginnings of the impact which were halted by the self destruct?