Egypt's overall frustration: referee suspected of biased decisions in loss to Argentina

Argentina committed as many fouls as Egypt but received no cards

After the match, many Egyptian players, coaching staff, and fans believed their team suffered unfavorable decisions at critical moments. One of the most cited statistics after the game was the disparity in the number of cards issued.

According to statistics, Argentina committed 11 fouls, exactly the same number as Egypt. However, while no Argentine player received a yellow card, Egypt was penalized with four yellow cards.

This difference led many Egyptian fans to question the referee's criteria, arguing that with similar contact levels, the two teams did not receive equal treatment.

Major controversy over the situation before the winning goal

The hottest moment of the match occurred in injury time. Just before Argentina launched the attack that scored the decisive 3-2 goal, Mohamed Salah fell in the penalty area after a collision with an Argentine defender.

Egyptian players immediately asked the referee to review VAR to determine whether there was a penalty. However, the main referee let the match continue without personally checking the VAR monitor. Just seconds later, Argentina countered and Enzo Fernandez scored a header for the winning goal, completing a dramatic comeback.

What further infuriated the Egyptian side was that not long before, when they had put the ball into Argentina's net, the VAR team immediately intervened to check the situation, and the goal was subsequently disallowed.

The difference in how VAR was used in the two situations made the African team feel they were disadvantaged.

Egypt's coach protested and received a yellow card

After the decisive goal, Egypt's head coach rushed to the technical area to protest to the referee. He repeatedly questioned why the situation of Salah's fall in the penalty area was not checked by VAR, especially when it was a moment that could decide the outcome of the match.

However, instead of receiving an explanation, he was immediately shown a yellow card by the referee for protesting. This decision further intensified the atmosphere as Egyptian players continued to surround the referee team after the final whistle.

Putting aside the controversies, Argentina still staged an impressive comeback after trailing 0-2 until the 79th minute. Lionel Messi initiated the comeback with an assist to Cristian Romero to reduce the deficit, before scoring himself to equalize 2-2. In the second minute of stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez headed in the winning goal to seal a 3-2 victory, sending the defending champions into the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Cup.

Nevertheless, the decisions of the refereeing team, especially regarding the use of VAR in the closing stages, will likely continue to be a topic of discussion after the 2026 World Cup concludes.