Egypt depart World Cup with bitter taste despite breaking new ground

ATLANTA: Egypt departed the World Cup feeling ​hard done by but also paid the price for inviting Lionel Messi to lead an irresistible late charge ‌against them as Argentina fought back to win a thrilling last-16 clash on Tuesday.

Egypt complained bitterly, with coach Hossam Hassan floating conspiracy theories, after their 3-2 defeat, and they did have grounds to feel aggrieved after Mostafa Zico’s 62nd-minute strike was called back for a foul in the build-up, and ​a claim for a foul on Mohamed Salah in the dying minutes was waved away.

Zico’s effort – he did score ​a legitimate goal five minutes later in almost the same way – was ruled out after a ⁠VAR review on a tug by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martinez.

There was certainly a push on Martinez, who also had his ​foot stood on and his jersey tugged, but if Egypt’s complaint is about the consistency of refereeing calls at the World Cup, ​then they have every right to feel aggrieved because many such similarly physical challenges have been ignored by referees in a conscious effort by FIFA to ensure games flow freely.

Egypt file complaint against referee after controversial World Cup exit

Giving a penalty for the foul on Salah would have been termed a soft decision, but what really rankled the ​Egyptians was that Argentina then went down the other end and won the game.

“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,” the Egyptian Football Association said in a ‌statement on ⁠Wednesday.

By then, however, Egypt’s defences were in tatters, allowing Lautaro Martinez to float in a cross that Enzo Fernandez expertly headed across the goalkeeper and into the corner of the net to complete a remarkable comeback after Argentina had trailed 2-0 with 11 minutes remaining.

Argentina fight back

They allowed Argentina to come back at them, sitting dangerously deep after previously having got the right balance of ​trying to contain Messi while ​looking to create chances themselves.

Uto ⁠makender Hassan, they have been surprisingly defensive, using the outlets of Salah and Omar Marmoush transitional opportunities.

Against Argentina, Hassan switched his game plan, dropping Marmoush and playing a more expansive game, while having ​his defenders rotate in keeping an eye on Messi, who was stymied in many of his ​efforts before the ⁠floodgates opened.

Egypt will also look back on the first-half injury to midfielder Emam Ashour as a turning point. He suffered what looked like a groin injury and went off at the break.

Overall, though, they can claim a success, winning at the World Cup for the ⁠first time ​in four attempts, getting out of the group phase and as far ​as the last 16.

“While the result is now part of history, our pride in this team remains unchanged. Their courage, commitment, and fighting spirit throughout the tournament ​earned respect and reflected the true values of Egyptian football,” the EFA said.