Lionel Messi came to the rescue once again, inspiring Argentina’s 3-2 comeback in their Round of 16 match against Egypt. Lionel Scaloni’s side did look to be heading out of the competition after going 2-0 down, and Messi missing a penalty, but you can never doubt one of the world’s greatest.

With just 10 minutes left to go, Messi assisted Cristian Romero’s header, then scored a goal of his own before Enzo Fernández sealed the deal with a header off a cross from Lautaro Martinez.

There were some controversial moments during the game, with Egypt having a goal disallowed for a foul that had happened at the complete opposite end of the pitch, whilst Argentina scored a goal in a very similar way. Still, the potential foul on Egypt star Mohammed Salah wasn’t awarded, meaning the winning goal stood and Egypt were eliminated.

It isn’t the first time that Argentina have been awarded some controversial decisions in their favour this tournament, and the post-match comments of Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko have only fuelled the conspiracies further.

FIFA Benefit From Argentina’s World Cup Win

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Sam Navarro

There is no doubt that Messi is one of the most recognisable stars on the planet, let alone one of the biggest footballers. The Argentinian has lit up the football stage for 2 decades, and his stardom has only been more commercialised since his move to David Beckham’s American side, Inter Miami.

Having Messi still participating at the World Cup in America will only generate more revenue for FIFA, as fans will happily pay more money for tickets to matches in which they can get a glimpse of one of the biggest stars in the world.

This looked like it was going to fail during Argentina’s game against Egypt, as Messi missed a penalty inside the first 30 minutes, and Egypt later took a 2-0 lead against Scaloni’s side.

However, Messi was able to do what he does best, as he inspired a comeback in the last ten minutes of the tie, assisting Cristian Romero’s header and scoring a half-volley, whilst Enzo Fernandez headed home in the dying minutes of the game to book a place in the quarter-finals of the competition.

It was reported that when Argentina were 2-0 down, tickets for the quarter-finals had dropped from the $1,900 mark earlier in the day to just under $1000, before shooting straight back up to $2000 when the full-time whistle had blown and Messi was 100% certain to be appearing in the next stage of the tournament.

Have FIFA Been Biased Towards Argentina?

Danny Medley via IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters

There have certainly been some decisions during this tournament which have favoured Argentina. Messi could have potentially received a red card in the group stages against Algeria, after appearing to catch the back of the Algerian player’s calf with his studs, yet the referee took no on-field action, and a VAR review was also in agreement that Messi should stay on the pitch.

Their most recent game against Egypt certainly hasn’t helped the biased conspiracy claims either, with Egypt appearing to have a perfectly good goal ruled out whilst Argentina got away with the exact same scenario when they scored their winning goal.

Egypt forward Mostafa Ziko accused the competition of being ‘rigged’ to favour Argentina, and whilst the suggestion seems very emotionally fuelled, FIFA haven’t helped themselves and could have some questions to answer.

Leeds are set to open contract talks to tie down one of their key stars when they return from the World Cup.

The Yorkshire club will be looking to strengthen their squad in the summer transfer window after an impressive 25/26 season.

It will also be imperative that they keep hold of as many of Daniel Farke’s key players as possible in order to continue building rather than stagnating.

Leeds already pulled off one of the most important deals of the summer, tieing Ethan Ampadu down to a new contract.

Farke has hardly completed any new signings so far, in terms of official confirmation, but there’s certainly no need to panic after they showed they can comfortably avoid relegation last season.

Leeds to open contract talks

According to a report from Football Insider, Leeds are set to open fresh contract talks with Brenden Aaronson once he returns from the World Cup.

The 25-year-old has now been knocked out of the tournament with the USA, but it will still be a while before he returns to Leeds.

Leeds want to offer Aaronson a new deal as a priority this summer, as he enters the final year of his deal.

If Leeds are unable to agree a new contract with the American international, they will look to cash in on him in order to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

Leeds paid a fee in the region of £25 million to sign Aaronson from Red Bull Salzburg, so they won’t want to be losing him for nothing.

Leeds can take risks in transfer market

Leeds can now afford to take risks in the current transfer market after proving that they have a squad capable of avoiding relegation in the Premier League.

The Yorkshire club were one of the favourites to drop down to the Championship, but Farke managed to steer them away from the bottom three.

For Leeds, it’s now about going to the next level and climbing into the top half of the Premier League table.

Farke has certainly earned himself enough credit with the board to back him in the transfer market, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them enjoy a strong summer transfer window.

Hossam Hassan has made a shocking accusation about Lionel Messi following Egypt’s dramatic World Cup exit against Argentina on Tuesday night. The Pharaohs were two goals to the good with just 11 minutes of normal time remaining, but a stunning 14-minute turnaround from the holders saw Cristian Romero, Messi and Enzo Fernandez turn the game on its head and complete an incredible remontada in Atlanta.

For neutrals, it was football at its very best – a reminder that the game can be a cruel mistress, delivering ecstasy and agony in equal measure as Lionel Scaloni’s side kept alive their hopes of back-to-back World Cup titles. But since the final whistle, the result has opened a can of worms.

A VAR expert has claimed Mohamed Salah should have been awarded a penalty in the build-up to the 93rd-minute winner, while Egypt’s coaching staff have had plenty to say about FIFA’s handling of this year’s tournament.

After the match, striker Mostafa Ziko also vented his frustrations over several refereeing decisions, going as far as to suggest the World Cup has been ‘rigged’ in Argentina’s favour. While he stopped short of targeting Messi directly, his manager was not prepared to pull any punches, refusing to leave football’s golden boy out of the firing line as he reflected on Tuesday night’s heartbreaking defeat.

Egypt Manager Takes Brutal Swipe at FIFA’s Treatment of Lionel Messi

Speaking at a press conference after the match, Hassan was furious about his team’s defeat, which he claimed was deliberate. He told media, as per Gulf Today (watch his untranslated interview below):

He added: “I will boycott watching the remaining matches of the tournament as a form of protest. I told the players that I thank them and that they can face the biggest teams in the world, provided there is fairness. FIFA promotes fair play, but we don’t see it on the pitch.”

“I’m not convinced with this outcome. I’m not convinced with the way things unfolded during this match. I do not want ‌to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording, selective wording, and saying hard luck, and so on and so forth. We ⁠have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice.”

Hassan Addresses Altercation with Referee that Produced Late Yellow Card

Paul Childs via Reuters

Hassan also said Egypt had objected to Letexier being the referee, referring to his “background,” as he is French, despite it likely being that he would rather his nation face the African side than their superiors from the 2022 final.

Nine minutes into extra time, Hassan was issued a yellow card after objecting to the lack of a VAR review. “I was just saying this is unfair. I was saying maybe he’s carrying a scar,” Hassan said of their interaction. “Maybe he has something to hide. Whoever has something to hide sometimes fails to hide what he is hiding.”

Argentina will now face the winner of Switzerland vs Colombia in the quarter-finals of this summer’s World Cup. After that, should they continue their title defence, they will face either Norway or England, and then one of France, Morocco, Belgium or Spain in the final.