Argentina pulled off an incredible, yet deeply controversial, 3-2 comeback against Egypt in the World Cup round of 16 on Tuesday – a result that has led some supporters to allege FIFA was covertly manipulating proceedings to preserve one of its prized assets.
The controversy erupted when Egypt thought they had taken a 2-0 lead in Atlanta. Mohamed Salah threaded a pass to Mostka Ziko, who fired past goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, sparking jubilant Egyptian celebrations. But referee Francois Letexier was summoned by VAR to examine a possible foul in the build-up. After considerable protest from Argentine players, defender Lisandro Martinez was deemed to have been unlawfully brought down – an offence that occurred more than 20 seconds before Ziko's strike. The goal was disallowed.
“Messi's late equaliser and Enzo Fernandez's stoppage-time header seal 3-2 win after Egypt goal controversially disallowed.”
A torrent of hostile responses flooded social media, especially on X. “This tournament is rigged. Corruption at display, robbing Egypt of the goal,” one fan said. “Rigged like always,” another wrote. “The World Cup is rigged for Messi,” one tweeted.
Egypt had taken the lead after an early Messi penalty miss. Mohamed Salah then doubled the lead with a second goal, though it was Ziko's disallowed strike that dominated the conversation. Six minutes after the VAR drama, Egypt finally netted a legitimate second goal, but the damage was done.
Moments after the fan accusations, Lionel Messi struck a stunning volley to draw Argentina level at 2-2, capping a remarkable late fightback. Then, in stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez powered home a header to seal a 3-2 victory in what ranks among the most extraordinary World Cup comebacks in history.
VAR has dominated conversation at the 2026 World Cup. Earlier, US forward Folarin Balogun was contentiously shown a red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina after a fairly innocuous collision; his one-match ban was eventually suspended and downgraded to a fine. Experienced journalists challenged the use of VAR in disallowing Ziko's strike, questioning both the interpretation of the laws and whether the technology should have been deployed in such circumstances.
Had Ziko's opening goal stood, Egypt would have stayed ahead. Instead, Argentina march on – but the cloud of controversy will linger long after the final whistle.