Egypt’s dream of a first World Cup quarter-final was ripped away in brutal fashion as Argentina came from two goals down to win 3-2 and keep their title defence alive.

For much of the night, the Pharaohs were on course for one of the great World Cup shocks. Yasser Ibrahim had given Egypt the lead, Mostafa Ziko later made it 2-0, and Argentina looked close to elimination after Lionel Messi had missed a first-half penalty.

But the final stages changed everything. Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute, Messi equalised four minutes later, and Enzo Fernández headed in the winner in stoppage time.

According to GiveMeSport, Ziko was furious after the match and accused the tournament of being tilted in Argentina’s favour.

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Ziko accuses officials after VAR controversy

Egypt’s anger centred on a second-half moment that could have changed the match completely.

With Egypt leading 1-0, Ziko thought he had scored again after a fast counterattack, only for the goal to be ruled out after a VAR review. The decision was given for a foul on Lisandro Martínez in the build-up, long before the ball reached Ziko.

The call proved decisive. Egypt did later go 2-0 up through Ziko, but they felt the disallowed goal had denied them the chance to take a commanding lead against the reigning champions.

After the final whistle, Ziko did not hide his anger.

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“Congratulations to Argentina on the World Cup; the tournament was rigged, they didn’t need anything else,” he said.

“The referee was unfair. At no point did we think the match was already decided. We knew we were facing the reigning world champions.”

Ziko also insisted Egypt would have accepted defeat differently if Argentina had won without controversy.

“Even before the game started, we knew we would be facing a very strong team and one of the favourites for the title,” he said.

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“But if they had won solely on their own merits, it would have been very different for us.”

“He is wasting the effort of an entire nation”

Ziko’s strongest words came when he accused the officials of destroying Egypt’s work.

“God is sufficient for me and the best disposer of affairs. He is wasting the effort of an entire nation. The cup is being given to Argentina,” he added.

Quoted by HITC, Ziko also said: “The referee is unfair, God is sufficient for me and the best disposer of affairs. He’s wasting the effort of an entire nation.”

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The comments followed a match in which Egypt also appealed for a late foul before Argentina’s winner. The referee allowed play to continue, and Fernández scored shortly afterwards.

For Egypt, it was too much to accept. For Argentina, it was another escape in a tournament that has already tested the champions repeatedly.

Argentina survive another major scare

Described by The Guardian, Egypt manager Hossam Hassan also accused FIFA and the officials after the defeat, saying his side had “suffered an injustice”.

Hassan claimed Egypt had been the better team and suggested there was a desire to keep Messi and Argentina in the tournament.

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Argentina, meanwhile, were left celebrating another narrow escape. Messi had looked set for a painful end to what may be his final World Cup after his penalty was saved, but he responded by helping Romero score before finding the net himself.

As reported by The Associated Press, Argentina will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals after completing one of the most dramatic comebacks of the tournament.

Egypt leave with history just out of reach

For Egypt, the defeat was devastating not only because of the manner of the comeback, but because of what had been at stake.

A win would have taken the Pharaohs into the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time. Instead, their campaign ended in the last 16, with Ziko’s goal, the VAR decision and Argentina’s late winner likely to be debated long after the final whistle.

Argentina move on. Egypt go home. But the controversy around Ziko’s words has ensured this match will be remembered for far more than the scoreline.