'If they want Argentina to win so bad, why call everyone to come and participate?'
After their heartbreaking loss to Argentina in a dramatic FIFA World Cup round of 16 match at the Atlanta stadium on Tuesday, Egypt's players and Coach Hossam Hassan blasted FIFA and accused the governing body of blatantly 'favouring' Lionel Messi and his team.
Egypt, who had not won a World Cup match prior to this tournament, nearly produced one of the greatest shocks in World Cup history, only for Argentina to score three late goals and escape with a thrilling win.
Enjoying a comfortable 2-0 lead with 11 minutes left, Egypt suffered a dramatic collapse as Argentina scored three late goals to escape with a dramatic win.
Egypt Coach Hossam Hassan was furious that several key referee decisions went against his team at crucial junctures in the match allowing Argentina to stage a comeback.
'Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running,' a furious Hassan said after the match, lashing out at FIFA.
'The world champion received support at every level. There seem to be pressures from the Argentina side on this outcome.'
Shockers! Messi Misses Penalty; Egypt take 2-0 lead
Egypt took a stunning lead after just 15 minutes when Yasser Ibrahim powered home a brilliant header from Marwan Attia, leaving the entire footballing world in disbelief.
Argentina's aggressive push for an equaliser paid off when they awarded a penalty five minutes later after Haissem Hassan tripped Nicolas Tagliafico inside the penalty area. But, in another massive shock Messi failed to score.
Egypt Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir dived to his left to deny Messi's weak shot. The Argentina captain became the first player to miss two penalties at a World Cup after also failing from the spot against Austria in the group phase.
Shobeir thwarted Argentina further, producing a couple of brilliant saves from Alexis Mac Allister's close ranger header and Julian Alvarez's long range shot.
VAR Controversy
There was further drama when Egypt had a goal ruled out in the 62nd minute. The Pharaohs celebrated wildly after Mostafa Zico doubled their lead to 2-0, but a VAR check found there was a foul from the Egyptians in the buildup.
Midfielder Marwan Attia was found guilty of stepping on Argentina's Lisandro Martinez at the start of the counter-attack which resulted in the goal being ruled out.
However, five minutes later the 29-year-old Zico made it 2-0 with a perfectly legal goal as he converted from Hassan's brilliant cross to leave Egypt on the cusp a dream victory and a place in the quarter-finals.
Messi Inspires Argentina's Incredible Fightback
The 39-year-old Messi made up for his penalty miss as he played a vital role in Argentina's incredible fightback in the closing stages. He delivered a pinpoint cross from which Cristian Romero headed home to narrow the deficit in the 79th minute.
Four minutes later Messi blasted home the equaliser after substitutes Lautaro Martinez and Gonzalo Montiel had both got vital touches to keep the ball away from Egyptian defenders.
The winner came from a counter-attack as Lautaro Martinez crossed from the right and Fernandez cushioned a back-post header past Goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir.
However, Egypt protested the goal stating that they deserved a penalty before Argentina's breakaway after a foul on Mohamed Salah at the other end. They also claimed a tug on Hamdy Fathy's jersey by Alexis Mac Allister, and their anger was exacerbated by Argentina going down the other end to score a 92nd-minute winner.
The Egypt players vociferously complained but to no avail.
'The referee was not really fair, the injustice was clear. It is clear that this tournament is fixed. The Cup is being given to Argentina, we all know they win the World Cup, congratulations,' a furious Zico said after the match.
'This was clearly a rigged match'
Egypt Coach Hossam Hassan was shown a yellow card for protesting after Argentina's winner when he crossed his arms in front of him, which is the FIFA-backed symbol for players and coaches to alert the referee about a racist incident during the match.
One of the support staff members of the Egypt team was also shown a red card for furious protests following Argentina's third goal. 'We haven't seen respect or fair play,' he said.
'A penalty (for Egypt) was ruled out, it was not even checked by the VAR and our second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed.'
'We have all seen the shirt pulled back (by Mac Allister) and not even a VAR check. Life is unfair, normal life is unfair, so why is there no fairness in sports?'
'I will say what's on my mind regardless of the consequence, this was clearly a rigged match and the whole world saw it.'
'And I want to say one more thing, if they want Argentina to win so bad, why call everyone to come and participate?' Zico asked.
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Source: Rediff.com
