Argentina survived one of the great scares of their World Cup defence, fighting back from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2 and move into the quarter-finals. But the drama in Atlanta did not end with Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time winner.
Egypt’s players and staff were furious after the final whistle, with Mostafa Ziko and national coach Hossam Hassan both suggesting that key decisions had gone against them. Their anger centred on a disallowed Egyptian goal and a late penalty appeal shortly before Argentina completed their comeback.
According to The Associated Press, Egypt led through Yasser Ibrahim and Ziko before Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Fernández turned the game around in the closing stages. Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Egypt rage over key decisions
Egypt thought they had taken a 2-0 lead earlier in the second half when Ziko finished a sweeping counterattack, only for the goal to be ruled out after a VAR review. The decision was given for a foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martínez earlier in the move.
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Ziko later did make it 2-0, but Argentina responded with three late goals. Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute, Messi equalised four minutes later, and Fernández headed in the winner in added time.
Egypt’s frustration intensified just before the decisive goal. Described by The Guardian, Egypt appealed for a penalty after Hamdy Fathy went down following contact from Alexis Mac Allister, while Mohamed Salah was also involved in a separate appeal moments before Argentina broke forward and scored.
The referee did not award a penalty, and the Egyptian bench erupted after Fernández’s header made it 3-2.
Ziko: It is a staged tournament
Ziko, who had scored Egypt’s second goal after seeing an earlier effort disallowed, was emotional in his post-match interview.
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As reported by Aftonbladet, he said: “It is a staged tournament.”
He also appeared to aim a bitter remark at Argentina and the officials, adding: “Congratulations to Argentina and the World Cup title.”
According to TV 2’s live coverage, the Egyptian camp felt the referee’s decisions had destroyed the work of an entire team after they had put the world champions under serious pressure.
Hassan points to Messi factor
Hossam Hassan was no less critical after the match. The Egypt coach said his team had been treated unfairly and suggested that there were forces beyond football involved in Argentina’s survival.
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Quoted by Al Jazeera, Hassan said: “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.”
He continued: “In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions received support at every level.”
Hassan also said he would not watch the rest of the tournament, claiming Egypt had been denied what would have been a historic place in the quarter-finals.
Messi and Argentina survive
For Argentina, the evening ended in relief rather than controversy. Messi had missed a first-half penalty, hit the post and looked set for a painful exit before dragging his side level in the final minutes.
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The 39-year-old was in tears after the final whistle, while Argentina celebrated another dramatic escape in a tournament that has already pushed the defending champions to the edge.
For Egypt, however, the performance will be remembered as much for the sense of injustice as the quality of their display. They had Argentina in deep trouble, but left the World Cup believing the biggest calls had gone against them.
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