Egypt’s hopes of staying in the World Cup were wiped out in stoppage time, and their head coach made sure his frustration was impossible to miss afterward.
On Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in Atlanta, Argentina pulled off a dramatic 3-2 comeback against Egypt in the round of 16, overturning a 2-0 deficit to book a place in the quarter-finals.
For much of the match, Egypt were in control. Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring in the 15th minute, and Mostafa Zico added a second after the break before Argentina mounted a furious late rally.
Cristian Romero started the comeback before Lionel Messi brought Argentina level, and Enzo Fernandez completed it with a 93rd-minute header to secure the victory and end Egypt’s run.
The chaos did not end with the final goal, as tensions immediately spilled over near the dugouts.
Once Fernandez found the net, the Egyptian bench reacted furiously. Goalkeeper coach Saafan El-Sagheer received a red card, while manager Hossam Hassan had to be restrained during an angry exchange with referee Francois Letexier.
Egypt’s complaints centered on a late moment involving Mohamed Salah, who they believed should have been given a penalty after contact from Julian Alvarez in the area. Their anger was also fuelled by a goal earlier in the second half that was disallowed after a VAR review.
During that confrontation, Hassan raised his arms in an X shape, a signal often associated with reporting racism to match officials. It is still not clear whether he was pointing to a particular moment or expressing his anger at the broader run of decisions against his team.
After the match, Hassan was outspoken in his criticism and suggested the tournament’s officials wanted Argentina and Messi to remain involved.
“We were better, but football is unfair,” he said.
“It could be a matter of marketing, they could want to make a World Cup with the champion of the last World Cup, they want Messi to exist.”
He continued: “Why isn’t there any fairness in sport? In football? I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.”
Mostafa Ziko, who had put Egypt 2-0 up before the late collapse, was also visibly devastated. In tears after the match, he described Letexier as an ‘unjust referee’ and said “the cup has already been decided.”
So far, no evidence has been produced to back accusations of corruption or match-fixing involving FIFA or Infantino.
Argentina are now through to the quarter-finals.
FIFA have been approached for comment
Quarter-final – Match 97: France vs Morocco, kick-off 4pm – Los Angeles, US
Quarter-final – Match 98: Match 91 winners vs Match 92 winners, kick-off 3pm – Miami, US
Quarter-final – Match 99: Norway vs England, kick-off 5pm – Miami, US
Quarter-final – Match 100: Match 95 winners vs Match 96 winners, kick-off 9pm – Kansas City, US
Semi-final – Match 101: Match 97 winners vs Match 98 winners, kick-off 3pm – Arlington, US
Semi-final – Match 102: Match 99 winners vs Match 100 winners, kick-off 3pm – Atlanta, US
Third Place Playoff – Match 103: Match 101 losers vs Match 102 losers, kick-off 5pm – Miami, US
Final – Match 104: Match 101 winners vs Match 102 winners, kick-off 3pm – New Jersey, US