Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan launched a scathing attack on the match officiating.
Egypt came within moments of producing one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Leading reigning champions Argentina 2-0 with just over 10 minutes remaining, they appeared set to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
But Argentina mounted a dramatic comeback. Cristian Romero pulled one back in the 79th minute before captain Lionel Messi equalised four minutes later. Deep into stoppage time, Enzo Fernández headed home the winner to complete a remarkable 3-2 turnaround, leaving Egypt’s players devastated on the turf at Atlanta Stadium.
While Argentina celebrated one of the tournament’s most dramatic victories, Egypt left the field convinced that key officiating decisions had cost them a place in the quarter-finals.
The biggest controversy came when Mostafa Zico thought he had doubled Egypt’s lead, only for the goal to be disallowed following a VAR review. Officials ruled that Marwan Attia had fouled Lisandro Martínez earlier in the move after stepping on the defender’s foot, overturning what would have been a crucial second goal.
Moments before Argentina scored the decisive goal, Egypt appealed for a penalty, claiming Mohamed Salah had been fouled inside the area. The referee dismissed the appeals, allowing play to continue.
The two contentious decisions dominated the post-match debate, prompting Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan to launch a blistering attack on the officiating.
The controversial decisions dominated the post-match discussion, with Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan delivering a scathing criticism of the officiating.
“There were a lot of things to question, both on and off the pitch,” Hassan said, according to the BBC. “It’s about credibility. There was a lack of credibility in the way events unfolded.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the tournament. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the competition. The world champions seemed to receive support at every level. There appeared to be pressure in Argentina’s favour.”
The match itself, however, was packed with drama from start to finish.
Egypt arrived at the tournament determined to improve on a disappointing World Cup record, having failed to win any of their previous seven matches across three appearances. After securing their first-ever World Cup victory against New Zealand in the group stage, they looked on course to make more history against Argentina.
Yasser Ibrahim put Egypt ahead in the 15th minute, while goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced one of the saves of the tournament by denying Lionel Messi from the penalty spot.
Egypt then believed they had doubled their advantage, but a VAR review ruled out the goal, denying them what could have been a decisive cushion.
As Argentina completed their dramatic comeback, emotions spilled over on the touchline. A member of Egypt’s coaching staff was shown a red card from the bench, while Hassan was booked for protesting Enzo Fernández’s stoppage-time winner.
Speaking after the match, Hassan insisted his team had not been treated fairly by the officials.
“We didn’t see respect or fair play,” he said. “A penalty appeal for us was waved away without even a VAR review, and our second goal was disallowed for reasons we still struggle to understand.
“We all saw the shirt pull by Alexis Mac Allister, yet there wasn’t even a VAR check. Life can be unfair, but why should there be no fairness in sport?”
Forward Mostafa Zico also criticised the officiating after the match.
“The referee was really unfair,” he said. “The injustice was obvious. There was a sense of unfairness from the very beginning of the game.”
