Egypt has moved very close to the quarter-final ticket when leading Argentina 2-0 thanks to goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Ziko. However, the defending champion scored 3 goals in the last 10 minutes of the match to complete the 3-2 comeback.
Immediately after the match, the Egyptian coaching staff reacted strongly to the decisions of referee Francois Letexier. According to international media, goalkeeper coach Saafan El-Sagheer received a direct red card, while coach Hossam Hassan was fined a yellow card for his reaction.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, the 59-year-old strategist said that his team had suffered many disadvantages from the refereeing decisions.
We played better than the reigning world champion in all aspects, but the result of the match was affected by both on-field and off-field factors. Perhaps they wanted to keep Argentina in the league," coach Hassan said.
Coach Hossam Hassan continued to express his opinion: "Perhaps they want Messi to continue the race. In football, there are sometimes things that go beyond purely professional scope. Argentina has received support at many levels. There is a lot of pressure to decide the outcome of this match. We have not received respect or fairness.
The Egyptian coach was particularly dissatisfied with some controversial situations in the second half. According to him, his team was denied a goal for offside, while in the play leading to Enzo Fernandez's decisive goal, Mohamed Salah was fouled earlier, but the referee did not stop the match to review the VAR.
Coach Hossam Hassan's statements currently only reflect the views of the Egyptian team. Up to now, FIFA as well as the refereeing team conducting the match have not issued an official response to these accusations.
In the opposite direction, Argentina won 3-2 to participate in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup. Lionel Messi continued to shine with 1 goal and 1 assist, making a great contribution to helping the reigning champion complete the comeback against the African representative.
