Egypt came within minutes of the greatest result in their World Cup history before Argentina completed a stunning 3-2 comeback to eliminate the Pharaohs in the round of 16, sparking furious accusations of refereeing injustice.
“Perhaps They Wanted Messi to Stay” — Egypt Coach’s Explosive Verdict on World Cup Exit
With 12 minutes of normal time remaining in Atlanta, Egypt led Argentina 2-0. A quarter-final berth — the first in the nation’s history — was within reach. Then, in the space of 13 extraordinary minutes, it all unravelled, BBC Sport reports.
Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute. Then Lionel Messi equalised four minutes later. Then Enzo Fernández headed home in the second minute of stoppage time to complete one of the most dramatic turnarounds in World Cup history.
But the real anger from Egypt’s camp centred on the decisions that shaped the game. A stunning Mostafa Zico goal was disallowed by VAR after midfielder Marwan Attia was penalised for a light shirt tug and slight toe-step on Lisandro Martinez 17 seconds before the strike. Mohamed Salah was also denied what Egypt believed was a clear penalty moments before Argentina’s winner, when he went down in the box claiming a foul by Julián Álvarez. VAR did not intervene.
In an explosive post-match interview, Egypt coach Hossam Hassan pulled no punches. “We have been treated unfairly and suffered injustice,” he said. “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running. The world champion received support at every level.”
“A penalty was ruled out, it was not even checked by VAR and our second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed,” Hassan added. “We have all seen the shirt pulled back and not even a VAR check. Life is unfair, normal life is unfair, so why is there no fairness in sports?”
Zico echoed his coach’s frustration. “The referee was really unfair. The injustice was clear. There’s been an unfairness right from the start of the match,” he said.
BBC Sport’s football issues correspondent Dale Johnson noted that the VAR call on the disallowed goal appeared inconsistent with how the tournament had been officiated, with referees instructed to allow more contact to increase tempo. He also noted that VAR’s failure to review the Salah incident was justifiable only because it occurred in the penalty area, where the threshold for intervention is higher.
Salah departs with just one goal from the tournament, having failed to register a shot or key pass against Argentina. At 38 by the time the 2030 World Cup arrives, his international future remains uncertain.
Egypt’s exit leaves Morocco as the last African nation standing, with the Atlas Lions set to face France in the quarter-finals in Boston on Thursday.
NEWS NOW:
