Argentina also won 3-2 in Egypt in… FIFA World Cup Round 16 was hailed as yet another tournament, but the result was overshadowed by the huge controversy that left the Egyptian camp stunned after the final whistle. The defending champions trailed 2-0 until the 67th minute before making a stunning comeback. Cristian Romero started the revival in the 79th minute, Lionel Messi they arrived four minutes later and Enzo Fernandez struck in stoppage time to send Argentina into the quarter-finals. While Argentina celebrated another memorable escape from the World Cup, Egypt were left questioning two crucial moments that they believe changed the tournament. The first came in the 59th minute when Mostafa Ziko thought he had doubled Egypt’s lead after finishing well. However, following a VAR review, the goal was disallowed after the officials deemed there had been an error earlier. Instead of leading 2-0 at the time, Egypt had to wait until the 67th minute for Ziko to score again, the effort being blocked after another fast attack. The Egyptian camp was also angered by Argentina’s successful preparations. The players and coaches noticed that Alexis Mac Allister made a mistake by kicking the ball before the ball fell to Enzo Fernandez, who calmly slotted home the goal. After the match, Egypt’s coach, Hossam Hassan, questioned the result and the manager, insisting that his team deserved more in the tournament. “I’m not satisfied with this. I’m not satisfied with the way things happened in the game,” Hassan said. “I don’t want to try to put it right here with fancy words, choice words, saying goodbye and so on.” “Today we have been treated unfairly. Forward Mostafa Ziko echoed the same sentiment, blaming the officials for denying him a famous victory in Egypt whose first goal was ruled out by VAR. “There is no justice, no justice, referee, no justice. Injustice, obvious and obvious injustice. He is ruining the efforts of the whole country. From the beginning of the game, he was against us. We are not allowed to leave as 2-0 winners against Argentina. This competition is permanent. God is enough for us, and He is the best destroyer of things.” Argentina, meanwhile, hailed a stunning comeback after facing elimination. “We have an amazing team, a team that never gives up even when it’s difficult and difficult. We are always together,” said match winner Enzo Fernandez. Striker Julian Alvarez added: “Argentinians’ heart is always something that pushes, that we keep going no matter what, that we give everything until the end. And honestly, with the number 2-0, we seemed to be beaten a little. There was no time left, but we always managed to find something more by fighting until the end.” The win sends Argentina into the quarter-finals, where they will face Switzerland after surviving one of the most controversial and exciting matches to date.
