Egypt Coach Criticizes Officiating After Argentina's World Cup Comeback

Jul 8, 2026

71 min

Jul 8, 2026 04:31

‘Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay’: Egypt coach fumes after Argentina’s dramatic 3-2 World Cup win

## Egypt's Near Upset

In a dramatic World Cup match, Egypt was on the verge of a historic upset against Argentina, leading 2-0 with just over ten minutes remaining. However, Argentina mounted a comeback, with Cristian Romero scoring in the 79th minute and Lionel Messi equalizing shortly after. Enzo Fernandez then secured the win for Argentina in stoppage time, leaving Egypt's players devastated.

## Controversial Decisions

The match was marred by contentious officiating decisions. Egypt's Mostafa Zico had a goal disallowed by VAR for a foul earlier in the play, and a penalty appeal for a foul on Mohamed Salah was ignored. These decisions led to heated post-match discussions.

## Coach's Reaction

Egypt's head coach, Hossam Hassan, expressed his frustration, questioning the credibility of the officiating. He suggested that there might have been a desire to keep Messi and Argentina in the tournament. Hassan criticized the lack of fair play and respect shown to his team.

## Egypt's World Cup Journey

Despite the loss, Egypt had shown promise in the tournament, having secured their first-ever World Cup victory against New Zealand in the group stage. The team aimed to improve their World Cup record, having not won in their previous appearances.

## Player Frustration

Forward Mostafa Zico echoed his coach's sentiments, describing the officiating as unfair from the start of the match. The sense of injustice was palpable among the Egyptian team and staff.

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