Egypt’s World Cup journey has come to an end following a mighty comeback against Argentina. Lionel Messi was once again at the centre of attention, assisting and scoring a goal in the 3-2 win despite missing a penalty.

Egypt did take the lead and even extended it to 2-0, but they couldn’t hold on as Argentina launched a comeback with just over 10 minutes left to go.

The game was filled with plenty of controversy, however, as Egypt had a goal disallowed in the 60th minute, with Lisandro Martínez deemed to have fouled at the complete opposite end of the pitch. Despite this being ruled out, Argentina’s winning goal was allowed to stand even though a similar situation had happened down the other end of the pitch.

Ziko Slams Referee Performance

The game looked set to be going Egypt’s way, and they could’ve been 3-0 up if it wasn’t for a goal being perhaps unfairly ruled out. After the game, striker Mostafa Ziko vented his frustrations about some of the refereeing decisions in the game, arguing that the World Cup has been ‘rigged’ to favour Argentina.

Ziko said: “Congratulations to Argentina on the World Cup; the tournament was rigged, they didn’t need anything else. The referee was unfair. At no point did we think the match was already decided. We knew we were facing the reigning world champions.

“Even before the game started, we knew we would be facing a very strong team and one of the favourites for the title.

“But if they had won solely on their own merits, it would have been very different for us.”

“God is sufficient for me and the best disposer of affairs. He is wasting the effort of an entire nation. The cup is being given to Argentina,” he added.

Ziko scored once during the game, and he was also the scorer of the unfairly ruled-out goal. A win for Egypt would have seen them progress to the quarter-finals of the competition, which would’ve been the furthest they have ever gone in the nation’s history.

Argentina Sneak Through

Action images via Reuters

The win for Argentina means that they are through to the quarter-finals of the competition, and they will play whoever wins the round of 16 tie between Switzerland and Colombia. Having only just beaten Cape Verde in the previous round, they would’ve hoped for a smoother game against Egypt, but once again they had a poor display, which saw them trail for the majority of the game.

Messi looked to have let his side down once again, as he missed a penalty in the first half, but you cannot doubt one of the greatest of all time, as he went on to provide an assist for Cristian Romero whilst also scoring a goal of his own to aid the comeback.

As much as a fairytale comeback it was, Argentina will be worried about their performances, especially as the tournament reaches its latter stages and the quality of teams gets better, and for them, it could be a semi-final tie against Norway or England awaiting them.

Egypt manager Hossam Hassan could be punished by FIFA after making an ‘X’ gesture the referee ignored during The Pharaoh’s dramatic 3-2 loss to Argentina on Tuesday night, and an explanation has now emerged why.

Mohamed Salah and co. were dumped out of the World Cup in the most agonising fashion in Atlanta, Georgia. Leading 2-0 with 11 minutes left on the clock, the current world champions scored three times in 14 minutes, though the decision not to give Egypt a penalty has caused a huge stir, with a VAR expert casting a strong verdict on it.

It was Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez who finished off a speedy counterattack from that decision to wave play on, planting a header beyond the goalkeeper in the 93rd minute. He wheeled away to the symphony of an emotional Argentina travelling support, but also to the chaos that erupted on the bench as the two sets of backroom staff clashed with each other.

Egypt Manager’s ‘X’ Gesture a Cause For Controversy

After referee Francois Letexier showed a yellow card to one of Egypt’s coaching staff in the 98th minute, Hassan made an ‘X’ gesture towards the official. The gesture is commonly used for reporting instances of alleged racist abuse, though it is unclear whether it was definitively used for that reason in particular.

Following Hassan’s gesture, an Egypt substitute intervened, before his brother and coach Ibrahim walked across to put Hassan’s hands back by his sides. See the incident below:

Letexier then had a lengthy discussion with both manager and coach, with Ibrahim making a thumbs-up gesture towards the referee before he returned to the pitch. It is unclear as to whether he took any further action, but the gesture has previously been deemed an ‘offensive expression’ depicting a pair of handcuffs.

Hossam Hassan Now Faces Potential FIFA Punishment

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Anne-Marie Sorvin

According to Mickey Jnr, a leading African football journalist, the 59-year-old will be investigated by FIFA after the incident, with it being suggested that he could face a suspension.

In 2010, then Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho showed a similar ‘X’ gesture. He was subsequently given a three-match ban, though it remains to be seen how much the law over that particular gesture has changed in 16 years.

One Liverpool star is attracting fresh interest this summer ahead of a possible exit. Changes are afoot for the Reds following the summer appointment of Andoni Iraola, with the Spanish boss inevitably wanting to put his own stamp on his squad.

Liverpool spent huge money last summer, but they are expected to follow that up with more big investment this summer. But we could also see exits at Anfield, and Curtis Jones is one of the leading candidates, given his contract is currently on course to expire next summer.

That means the Reds either need to agree a new deal with the midfielder or sell him to make sure they don’t lose Jones for free next summer.

Jones now attracting fresh attention

Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs

Jones is not short of options this summer as he considers what to do next. The midfielder is said to be a target for Galatasaray, who have expressed interest in a deal this summer. That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who say the Turkish club are the latest club to join the race after talk of interest from Inter Milan and Nottingham Forest.

Reports have suggested Liverpool will ask for as much as £35million to sell Jones this summer, despite the fact he is out of contract at the end of the coming season.

Jones could yet pen a new deal, according to the report, but a decision does not seem to be on the verge of being made. Jones looks likely to join up with the Reds for pre-season, and a decision will likely be made later in the summer, after he has discussed the situation with Liverpool, who may want to present new terms.

Jones a ‘complete’ player

Now former Liverpool boss Arne Slot lavished Jones with praise back in 2024, describing him as a ‘complete’ player. “He has a lot of qualities on the ball,” said Slot. “He is never afraid to do something special with it, but sometimes he touches the ball a bit too much in my opinion because he is so confident.

“But confidence is an important tool. He has an incredibly hard work rate and we trust him in defence. He is complete. For him now, it is all about consistency. The best players turn up every three days and that is what he has got to show.”

Jones made 34 league appearances for Liverpool last season, missing only four games, so he remains a key part of the Reds squad, even if we don’t yet know what Iraola will make of the midfielder.