Egypt boosted by praise for World Cup heroics despite controversy | World Cup 2026

Egypt’s historic run at the World Cup came to a bitter, controversial, and highly controversial end 3-2 defeat by Argentina which left the Pharaohs shaking their heads in frustration as the players moved one step closer to defending their trophy.

Argentina made a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to avoid a surprise exit after talisman Lionel Messi equalized in the 83rd minute and Enzo Fernandez struck two minutes into stoppage time to seal the deal for the defending champions on Tuesday.

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The final 15 minutes of the match were sensational as several fouls from Argentina went unnoticed by the referee – himself. he ended the Egyptian mission from Mostafa Ziko after a VAR call – and four yellow cards were handed out to Egypt, including one for coach Hossam Hassan.

Instead of facing the heat of the game, Hassan crossed his arms in an “X”, pointing out the brutality of racism and launching FIFA’s anti-racism policy. This would have prompted the referee to stop the game and control the incident, but the whistle was blown to signal the end of the game several minutes later.

On social media, users protested the injustice against Egypt while giving support to the Pharaohs, who have already set a World Cup record with their 32-wicket win against Australia.

The country’s football association was among the first to congratulate the team on their historic achievement, writing on Twitter: “You were men of great responsibility. I am proud of you, thank you for everything.”

‘Tears fell’ after ‘every Egyptian goal’

The Arab world wrapped Egypt in a blanket of love and pride even though they lost.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi thanked them for their “honorable work” and the historic World Cup.

“We are proud of what you have accomplished, and your future is bright,” he wrote on X.

An Egyptian supporter reminded them to “keep your heads up like Coach Hossam carried the Palestinian flag”, referring to Hassan carrying the Palestinian flag on the pitch as his side celebrated their victory over Australia.

“I say to them: I give this victory to the people of Egypt and the people of Palestine, kind and honorable people,” Hassan said after the 3-2 victory on penalties.

The Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom praised Egypt for its “history”, while criticizing the judge for his decisions, a sentiment widely shared on social media.

One fan in Gaza detailed how the game affected people in the besieged Palestinian territory.

“Can you imagine the amount of injustice we live here in Palestine? Imagine a soccer team being kicked out of the World Cup because they raised the Palestinian flag and talked about Gaza,” he wrote on X.

“Everyone here in Gaza was in the streets watching.” For a moment, he forgot the unbearable truth that he endures every day. Maybe football was their only hope for their voices to be heard around the world.

“I swear our tears fell with joy after every Egyptian goal. But to see things come to the point where FIFA appoints a corrupt referee, to crush the joy of the Palestinian people living in hopeless tents… even our simplest moment of joy was taken away.

The video showed Palestinians holding their breath as they watched the game on screens inside bombed-out buildings, Egyptian flags hanging overhead.

Ziko angry at ‘obvious repression’

A frustrated Ziko publicly criticized the referee’s decision in a post-match interview.

“The referee was unfair, his decision is unfair, it’s a clear and obvious oppression,” said Ziko before concluding that the rest is in God’s hands and congratulating Argentina for winning the World Cup, referring to fraud in supporting the South American team.

England football legend Jamie Carragher also criticized VAR’s decision to disallow the goal.

“I can assure you that if the goal was against another team, it would have been allowed.

“If it had happened in the Premier League, La Liga or Serie A, it would have been a goal even after the VAR review. There has been a lot of controversy in this competition,” Carragher said.

Portuguese football legend Jose Mourinho is said to have called the game a “noon steal”.

“It’s a shame the way football is. How do you let the game go on, let the goal be scored, and then you decide to go back and stop it? If there was a mistake, stop the game immediately. Don’t wait until the goal is over,” he said.

Hassan had made it clear in the post-match press conference that he was in the dying minutes of the match.

“I’m going home and I’m not going to watch any more championship games,” he told reporters.

“What happened to us was not fair. We should have had a penalty, a goal was denied, and I don’t know why it was denied.”

However, captain Mohamed Salah and his teammates were given a warm welcome by cheering fans outside their hotel as they waved Egyptian flags and lit up the sky for their own victory.