A VAR expert has delivered a strong verdict on whether Egypt should have been awarded a penalty late in their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina on Tuesday night. The decision to wave play on ultimately proved costly for Mohamed Salah and co., with the holders going straight up the other end and scoring the goal that completed a remarkable 14-minute turnaround and secured their place in the World Cup quarter-finals.

The Pharaohs were two goals ahead with just 11 minutes of normal time remaining, but Lionel Scaloni’s side once again showcased their trademark resilience. Lionel Messi scored and provided an assist as Argentina kept their hopes of retaining the title alive, all after becoming the first player to miss two penalties in a single World Cup tournament earlier in the contest.

However, questions remain over the validity of the winning goal. Enzo Fernandez powered a 93rd-minute header beyond the Egypt goalkeeper before wheeling away in celebration in front of an emotional Argentina support. The dramatic finale also sparked scuffles between the two benches, with a member of the Egypt coaching staff shown a red card for protesting the decision.

VAR Casts Verdict on Mohamed Salah’s Penalty Shout vs Argentina

As the ball was crossed in towards Salah, he appeared to have his shirt tugged and then his feet tripped over in the box just moments later, which helped Argentina on their way to a counterattack. After reviewing the footage, Dale Johnson – who works as a VAR expert for the BBC, believes the referee should have pointed to the spot. He explained on X (see the full post below):

In a separate comment, he followed up by adding: “There is a slight step on the foot too, but so many of these have been allowed to go by referees,” appearing to agree that the African side deserved one penalty, but calls for a second – which would have almost certainly sent Argentina packing – are on the speculative side.

Argentina Keep Finding a Way

Action images via Reuters

Down, but never quite out. The outpouring of emotion at full-time on Tuesday night was not only a show of just how close Argentina were to crashing out of the tournament – Messi no doubt fearful of the possibility of bowing out early – it was a symbol of their resilience, togetherness, and air of inevitability.

Next, they face the winner of Switzerland vs Colombia, before a potential semi-final with England or Norway. A deep run is again on the cards, and football’s greatest-ever is nearing a second shot at sporting immortality.

Manchester United are pushing to sign new midfielders in the summer transfer window, and they already have a lengthy list of targets.

Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes were two players who made United’s shortlist for the summer transfer window, but they have joined Manchester City and Tottenham, respectively.

The Red Devils do have a number of alternatives, and they will be desperate not to miss out on any more key targets.

It’s imperative that United bring in at least two midfielders this summer, with Manuel Ugarte suffering a serious injury and Casemiro leaving the club.

New names are being linked with the move to Old Trafford every single week, and it remains to be seen who is going to be their priority transfer.

Man Utd hold midfielder talks

According to David Ornstein earlier this week, Manchester United have opened talks to sign Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos in the summer transfer window.

Chelsea won’t stand in Santos’ way if he does want to make the move to Old Trafford and a deal suits all parties involved.

United have also held talks to sign Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.

The Cherries are hoping to tie him down to a new contract, but United have asked the question at least as they aim to bring in midfield reinforcements.

Scott, who has been described as ‘unbelievable’, is entering the final two years of his contract at Bournemouth, but he’s a key name on United’s list.

Scott has gone to a new level since joining Bournemouth and has racked up plenty of Premier League experience already. There’s no doubt he would be a better option for the club than Santos.

Scott could explode under Carrick

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Scott is the type of midfielder who could explode under Michael Carrick at Manchester United.

Carrick has already shown he can get the best out of midfielders, with Kobbie Mainoo going to the next level under him in the second half of the season.

Whether Scott and Mainoo would blend well together remains to be seen, but United do need multiple midfielders this summer.

Scott flourishes in a high-paced environment, as we saw under Andoni Iraola, so there’s little reason why he wouldn’t flourish at United.

United need to be going all out for Scott, especially over a player like Santos.

Michael Owen has called out England fans for their ‘nonsense’ reaction to the team’s World Cup win over Mexico in a scathing critique this week. The Three Lions overcame pre-match concerns about playing in intense heat, at high altitude and against an in-form host nation backed by a partisan crowd to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory.

The result is by far the most significant of Thomas Tuchel’s international management career so far and could yet prove to be one of England’s most memorable World Cup performances in recent history. Jude Bellingham scored twice, and although England played almost the entire second half with 10 men after Jarell Quansah was sent off, they dug deep and held on, with Harry Kane also scoring from the penalty spot.

After a lethargic group-stage campaign and a fortunate late turnaround against tournament debutants DR Congo in the Round of 32, the optimism that so often surrounds England’s attempts to end their 60-year trophy drought has gathered momentum once again. But not everyone is convinced it should be that way.

Michael Owen’s Brutal Critique of England Fans’ Reaction to Mexico Win

REUTERS/Chris Radburn

“They stuck together. They found a way. That takes character, and it will only strengthen the belief within the squad. Fans are right to be proud of what they saw,’ Owen wrote in the Daily Mail.

Paul Childs via Reuters

He continued: “Real bravery is wanting the ball when 80,000 people are willing you to make a mistake. It’s showing for possession when everyone else is hiding. It’s taking the ball off your mate when he’s in trouble, knowing that if you lose it you’ll be the one criticised.

“That’s football bravery and that’s what England need more of, if they’re going to win this World Cup. If, against France, Spain or Argentina, England play like they did versus Mexico, we’ll get our backsides kicked.”

Positives Far Outweigh Reasons to be Cautious After Mexico Showing

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Whatever Owen has to say about the reaction to England’s win is countered by overwhelming positives to take from it. At the Azteca Stadium, although Bellingham and Kane were the scorers again, the Three Lions looked far more like a complete entity than one defined by individual brilliance.

That, and the ability to keep grinding out results in any environment, will serve them well long-term. After all, the Gareth Southgate sides of just a few years ago used to do the same thing to get to back-to-back European Championship finals – the big difference now, though, is that while the feel-good factor and turgid-but-effective style is helping them progress, they now have a manager with a brilliant track record in finals to get them over the line.

Of course, Mexico pale in ability compared to the likes of France and Spain, but there’s certainly no reason to be looking too deep into the negatives of a crucial win from an outsiders’ perspective – leave that to Tuchel, who is now preparing for a quarter-final with Norway.