With 79 minutes down, Egypt looked like it was about to pull off the impossible. Up 2-0 over the defending champions — Argentina — it appeared as if Egypt was about to pull off a massive upset.
Then, Messi happened.
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Lionel Messi notched an assist on Argentina’s first goal and scored its second in the span of just five minutes. The team managed one more goal in stoppage time, somehow giving Argentina a 3-2 win despite the team not scoring until the 79th minute of the match.
But the Egyptian Football Association — and the team’s coach — didn’t necessarily see it that way. In a lengthy statement Wednesday, the Egyptian FA called out “controversial and influential refereeing incidents” that it believes affected the outcome of the match.
After thanking fans, the Egyptian FA turned its attention to “several key incidents” it believed raised concern about the fairness of the match.
At the same time, the Egyptian Football Association cannot remain silent regarding the refereeing decisions witnessed during the match against Argentina as well as the failure to make appropriate use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. Several key incidents raised serious concerns and left profound questions about the consistency and fairness of decisions that directly influenced the course of the game.
A number of football experts and specialist analysts, both locally and internationally, have highlighted controversial and influential refereeing incidents during the match. This underlines the importance of maintaining the highest standards of integrity, fairness, and transparency in match officiating, particularly in a competition of the stature and significance of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The VAR incident referenced in the Egyptian FA’s statement occurred at the 59th minute of Tuesday’s game. After a goal by Egypt, VAR reviewed contact that occurred on the other side of the pitch. Despite no foul being called at the time, and the potential foul happening at the other end of the field, Egypt’s goal was taken off the board.
It wasn’t the first time VAR was misused at the 2026 World Cup. USMNT’s Folarin Balogun was handed a red card after a controversial VAR review earlier at the event.
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Had Egypt’s goal stood, the outcome of the game may have been different.
Additionally, close calls down the stretch seemed to go against Egypt, potentially allowing Argentina — and Messi — to complete their comeback.
Following the contest, Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, was furious, using the term “rigged” when discussing its outcome. During the match, he said he told referees “this is unfair” before suggesting one of the refs has “something to hide.”
The Egyptian FA didn’t go that far with its statement Wednesday, but it’s clear the organization believes its team got shortchanged during Tuesday’s match.
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