Defending champions Argentina defeated Egypt in their Round of 16 clash at coming back from two goals down to win 3-2 in the dying minutes of the game.
It was a dramatic match which had everything. Egypt had a 2-0 lead till the last parts of the game, but Lionel Messi and Argentina found a way to score 3 goals and win the match. The game had everything with Lionel Messi missing a penalty, Egypt had their goal disallowed by VAR and also plenty of cards being given. Egypt also had a penalty call denied, a decision caused a debate on social media.
After the game, Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko who scored the disallowed goal expressed frustration over the referee. He even went on to claim that “the cup is being handed to Argentina” and that the tournament is ‘fixed’. Mostafa Ziko had scored the second goal for Egypt in the 60th minute, but the goal was ruled out as VAR determined that Haissem Hassan had fouled Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez in the build-up and hence it was overturned by VAR. Mostafa Ziko had said that the referee was unfair and the cup is being fixed for Argentina.
Mostafa Ziko 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. The cup is being given to Argentina. They win the World Cup,” a furious Ziko added. “No fair, no fair, referee, no fair. Injustice, clear and obvious injustice. From the start of the match, he was against us. It is not allowed for us to leave as 2-0 winners against Argentina. The tournament is fixed,”.
For most parts of the game, it looked like Egypt would emerge as winners but a late twist in the tale ensured Argentina came back strongly and won the game 3-2. Lionel Messi who had missed a penalty earlier in the game redeemed himself by scoring a goal in the 84th minute. Argentina will face Switzerland in the Quarter Finals of the 2026 Fifa World Cup.