Egypt 'cheated' in Argentina Egypt World Cup thriller, says coach Hassan

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accused match officials of injustice after his side lost a dramatic Argentina Egypt World Cup Round of 16 tie 3-2 in Atlanta on Tuesday. Argentina came from two goals down, with Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez scoring late, to reach the quarter-finals.

Who won Argentina vs Egypt?

Argentina won 3-2 after trailing 2-0 at half-time. Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez scored in the final 13 minutes, including stoppage time, to complete the comeback.

The result sent the defending champions through to the quarter-finals, while Egypt's players and coaching staff sharply criticised the officiating that shaped the outcome.

How did Egypt take the lead?

Egypt looked set for a historic win for much of the match. Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring, and Mostafa Ziko doubled the lead after Messi had a first-half penalty saved. A second Ziko goal was ruled out by VAR for a foul on Lisandro Martinez earlier in the move, a decision that would later fuel Egypt's complaints.

How did Argentina complete the comeback?

Argentina's response arrived late but fast. Cristian Romero headed in to reduce the deficit, before Messi smashed home the equaliser, his eighth goal of the tournament and a ninth straight World Cup match with a goal. Enzo Fernandez then scored the winner with a header two minutes into stoppage time.

Why was the Egypt goal disallowed?

Egypt had a second-half goal ruled out for a foul spotted by VAR earlier in the buildup. In the lead-up to Argentina's winning goal, Egypt believed they should instead have been awarded a penalty for a pull by Alexis Mac Allister on Hamdy Fathy.

A member of Egypt's coaching staff was sent off after the winning goal was scored.

What did Hossam Hassan say about the result?

Hassan did not hold back in his post-match press conference. "I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck. We have been cheated unfairly today, we have suffered injustice," he said. He added that Egypt had not been shown "respect or fair play" during the match.

Hassan singled out the disallowed penalty claim and goal as the clearest examples of unfair treatment. "A penalty was ruled out, was not even checked by VAR. A second goal was remarkably disallowed," he said. He said no VAR check had taken place despite footage showing a shirt pull.

Will Hassan keep following the World Cup?

Hassan said the perceived injustice had led him to step back from the tournament altogether. "I am not going to continue following the matches of this World Cup, watching the matches of this World Cup," he said. He described the decision as his own way of registering his frustration with how the match was officiated.