Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said the refereeing was “unfair” and insisted the World Cup was “heading to Argentina” after a dramatic 3-2 defeat in the last 16.
Argentina scored three goals in just 13 minutes to avoid a shock elimination from the reigning champions. They face either Colombia or Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Sunday at 2am (UK and Irish time).
But the dramatic late winner was overshadowed by controversy when Hasan claimed his side were denied a penalty just before Julian Alvarez launched a counterattack, which led to Enzo Fernandes’ 92nd-minute header.
Álvarez tackled Mohamed Salah inside the penalty area and caught the forward with his feet before taking the ball. VAR did not appear to confirm the incident.
Alexis Mac Allister also brought down Hamdi Fathy inside the area moments before, but play continued.
The incident occurred after Egypt had already been ruled out 1-0 through a Zico goal earlier in the game, with Lisandro Martinez deemed to have committed a foul in the build-up following a VAR check.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Hasan said: “Life is unfair. The world is unfair. I get it. But why isn’t there fairness in sports? I’m not sure about this result and the way things unfolded in this match.
“The referee is unfair. God is enough with me and the best of us. He is wasting the efforts of the whole country. The cup is going to Argentina.
“We did not see respect or fair play. The penalty was ruled out and the second (incident) which we should have confirmed as a penalty was not confirmed by VAR. For some reason, surprisingly, the second goal was disallowed.
“I think it was Argentina’s pressure on the referee that led to this result.”
Sky Sports News FIFA has been approached for comment.
