Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said his team suffered an “injustice” in their 3-2 round of 16 defeat to Argentina at the 2026 World Cup. The match took place on July 7 in Atlanta. Hassan stated after the game that Egypt had been “cheated unfairly” and did not receive respect or fair play from officials.
Egypt took a surprising lead early. Yasser Ibrahim scored with a header in the 15th minute to make it 1-0. Mostafa Zico added a second goal around the 67th minute, putting Egypt 2-0 ahead. Argentina responded late. Cristian Romero scored in the 79th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1. Lionel Messi equalized in the 83rd minute with his eighth goal of the tournament. Enzo Fernandez scored the winner in stoppage time for a 3-2 final score.
Egypt felt two key decisions went against them. Zico’s goal was disallowed after a VAR review for a foul on Lisandro Martínez in the buildup. Hassan and players argued the contact was minor and far from the play. Later, in the buildup to Fernandez’s winner, Egypt claimed Alexis Mac Allister pulled Hamdy Fathy’s shirt inside the box. No penalty was awarded, and officials did not check it with VAR according to the Egyptian side.
Argentina held more possession and created more chances overall, with 19 shots compared to Egypt’s five. Messi missed an earlier penalty that was saved by goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir. Despite the result, Egypt showed strong organization and counterattacking threat against the defending champions.
Hassan connected the calls to broader issues. He suggested external factors influenced the outcome and that keeping Argentina and Messi in the tournament played a role. Player Mostafa Zico described the referee as having “robbed a whole nation.” The loss ended Egypt’s run, while Argentina advanced to face Switzerland or Colombia in the quarterfinals. The decisions remain a main point of discussion among Egyptian fans and officials.