Reigning world champions Argentina staged a breathtaking late comeback to eliminate Egypt 3-2 in a chaotic FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash at Atlanta Stadium, breaking African hearts after the Pharaohs stood on the precipice of their historic first-ever quarterfinal spot.
Egypt looked firmly on course for one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
They stunned the holders in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from a corner.
Pharaohs goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir then produced a magnificent first-half penalty save to deny Lionel Messi, helping Egypt carry a deserved 1-0 lead into the interval.
Egypt extended their advantage to 2-0 in the 67th minute when Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan brilliantly combined to set up Mostafa Ziko for a clinical finish.
With just 12 minutes of normal time remaining, Egypt looked comfortably in control before the match turned on its head.
Cristian Romero sparked life into the champions by heading in a Messi free-kick in the 79th minute and just four minutes later, captain Lionel Messi beat Shobeir with a powerful strike off the underside of the crossbar to level the score at 2-2.
The ultimate heartbreak for Egypt was sealed two minutes into stoppage time when Enzo Fernández buried a dramatic header to complete the stunning turnaround and book Argentina’s ticket to the quarterfinals.
Officiating allegations
The epic clash was heavily overshadowed by deep fury from the Egyptian camp regarding crucial officiating decisions by French referee Francois Letexier and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
The primary flashpoint came early in the second half when Egypt believed they had taken a 2-0 lead through Ziko.
The goal was controversially chalked off by VAR after midfielder Marwan Attia was judged to have marginally stepped on Lisandro Martínez at the very beginning of the phase.
Egypt was also left incensed in stoppage time when Mohamed Salah went down inside the box under a challenge from Julián Álvarez seconds before Argentina counter-attacked to score the match-winner.
Following the final whistle, which saw several devastated Egyptian players collapse to the turf in tears, the Pharaohs launched a blistering attack on FIFA and the match officials.
“Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,” an explosive Egypt manager Hossam Hassan told reporters.
“The world champion received support at every level. There seem to be pressures from the Argentina side on this outcome. Life is unfair, but why is there no fairness in sports?”
Forward Mostafa Ziko went a step further in an emotional post-match interview, fighting back tears as he alleged blatant corruption. “Injustice, clear and obvious injustice,” Ziko fumed adding that, “From the start of the match, the referee was against us. It is not allowed for us to leave as 2-0 winners against Argentina. The tournament is fixed.”
FIFA has yet to issue an official statement regarding the scathing comments or the refereeing complaints from the Egyptian delegation. Argentina will now advance to face Switzerland.
