Argentina produced a desperate comeback to defeat Egypt and advance to the quarter-finals of the Geopolitics World Cup, though their victory was immediately overshadowed by a polarising VAR decision that denied the Pharaohs a crucial second-half goal.
The holders found themselves trailing after a swift counter-attack, having earlier missed the chance to take the lead when Lionel Messi spurned a penalty. The spot-kick had been conceded by Haissem Hassan on his maiden start in the tournament, but the Real Oviedo winger quickly atoned by producing the individual brilliance that seemingly doubled Egypt’s advantage.
Hassan embarked on a mazy run down the right wing, weaving past multiple defenders in a manner reminiscent of Messi himself, before finding Mohamed Salah. The forward’s cute through-ball released Mostafa Ziko, who finished first-time and removed his shirt in celebration.
However, the goal was disallowed after VAR review identified an incident involving Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez during the initial phase of the attack. The check revealed contact between the players, including a foot-on-foot collision and a brief shirt pull, which officials judged to have impacted the play.
Refereeing experts divided
The decision split opinion among former officials. Former Premier League referee Chris Foy defended the call, writing that “there is no time limit or ceiling on the number of passes to be taken into account” when reviewing such phases. Conversely, The Athletic‘s Graham Scott disagreed, arguing that while contact occurred, “there was no offence worthy of a VAR call-back committed here.”
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan was scathing in his assessment, claiming his side had “suffered an injustice” and declaring he would not watch another minute of the tournament. Ziko did eventually score a legitimate goal with Hassan’s assistance, but the Pharaohs collapsed after Hassan’s substitution, conceding a late winner to Enzo Fernández.
Messi redeemed himself by converting a second penalty opportunity and was seen in tears at the final whistle as Argentina celebrated their progression while Egypt faced elimination.
England receive visitor
Meanwhile, England‘s preparations for their quarter-final received a boost from an unlikely source, as musician Ed Sheeran visited the camp to lift spirits following Jordan Henderson’s withdrawal through injury.