The Egyptian men’s soccer team thinks a higher power interceded in their 3-2 loss to Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16.
Not God, perhaps, but FIFA.
The African side was up 1-0 when Haissem Hassan passed the ball to Mo Salah, who slid it over to Mostafa Ziko for a goal at the 58-minute mark. However, video-assisted replay (VAR) showed that Egypt’s Marwan Attia got tied up with Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez on the other side of the pitch. It was ruled a foul retroactively, and the goal was disallowed.
The decision was met with immediate criticism, including from Fox commentators, for overstepping VAR’s intended purpose. Egypt appeared to get karmic payback a few minutes later when they scored again and this time it counted.
However, Lionel Messi and the defending World Cup champions staged a furious late comeback, eventually winning 3-2 with a game-winner in stoppage time.
Not God, perhaps, but FIFA.
The African side was up 1-0 when Haissem Hassan passed the ball to Mo Salah, who slid it over to Mostafa Ziko for a goal at the 58-minute mark. However, video-assisted replay (VAR) showed that Egypt’s Marwan Attia got tied up with Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez on the other side of the pitch. It was ruled a foul retroactively, and the goal was disallowed.
The decision was met with immediate criticism, including from Fox commentators, for overstepping VAR’s intended purpose. Egypt appeared to get karmic payback a few minutes later when they scored again and this time it counted.
However, Lionel Messi and the defending World Cup champions staged a furious late comeback, eventually winning 3-2 with a game-winner in stoppage time.
2 months ago
