Mercedes Benz Madness
The Argentina vs Egypt Game Taught Us A Lot. Let’s Talk About it.
Emiliano Martinez (Argentina) and Lionel Andres Messi (Argentina) during Argentina and Egypt, Round of 16 FIFA World Cup, WM, Weltmeisterschaft, Fussball 2026, Atlanta Stadium, Atlanta, United States on July 7, 2026. Thor Wegner DeFodi Images. (Photo by DeFodi Images)
Yesterday in Atlanta, Argentina stared into the eyes of elimination; but death blinked first . In a Round of 16 match against Egypt, Argentina trailed 2-0 78 minutes in. The crowd was speechless, Scaloni was stagnant, and Messi was silenced; or so we thought. Because after 78 minutes of football that pointed towards the end of his international career, he gave us 15 to extend it, leading Argentina to an unexplainable comeback victory to topple Egypt with a final score of 3-2. Messi assisted the initial Cristian Romero goal to cut into the lead, fired a rocket himself to equalize, and watched as Enzo Fernandez scored the game winning header to punch Argentina’s ticket into the quarterfinals.
But throughout the many remontadas (comebacks) we’ve seen in this sport, none have come with as much controversy as Argentina’s roller coaster World Cup victory. Yesterday was the latest addition to a long list of allegations surrounding Argentina as a corrupt football nation. The sequence that seemed to be the tipping point were two separate events that were almost parallel in action.
In the 57th minute, Argentinian defender Lisandro Martinez was dispossessed of a ball that directly led to an Egypt counter attack that ended in a goal to make the score 2-0. But after a VAR review, it was determined that the Argentinian was fouled prior to the run which caused the dispossession, leading to the goal being overturned.
After Messi equalized late in the game, legendary Egyptian forward Mo Salah made a run into Argentina’s box in an attempt to retake the lead but was dispossessed by Argentinian striker Julian Alvarez. Instant replay showed an action by Alvarez that almost mirrored what Egyptian left back Karim Hafez did to Martinez about 30 minutes earlier. The double standard is what’s caused outrage by not only the fans but also the Egyptian Football Association, who filed a complaint to FIFA and called for an investigation into the Argentinian Football Association.
While the investigation is pending and has even been put into the hands of the FBI, its important to know the danger of judging fouls from a single freeze frame or screenshot. Very similarly to the Folarin Balogun situation, the key to dictating what’s a foul and what isn’t is the act of motion. Deliberate/intentional force has to be the tiebreaker in these decisions, hence why judging off a single frame can be misleading.
Under FIFA guidelines, VAR can be used at any point of the team’s possession, going back to the initial touch. Egypt’s goal was disallowed due to what led to them having the ball in the first place, which is 100% in the rulebook.
So why wasn’t Alvarez called for ‘fouling’ Salah in the box which would have led to a penalty? The difference between the two is that Martinez lost the ball due to the foul, whereas Salah already lost the ball before contact. Add on the fact that his right foot was in motion towards Alvarez due to being in the midst of dribbling before being dispossessed, and the conclusion was made that no deliberate physical force was made towards Salah by Alvarez.
After the game, Egypt’s manager Hossam Hassan spoke out against FIFA making claims for them being in support of Argentina.
(260708) -- ATLANTA, July 8, 2026 -- The referee talks to Hossam Hassan (2nd R), head coach of Egypt, during the round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, WM, Weltmeisterschaft, Fussball at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta, the United States, July 7, 2026. )
“We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice. There has not been respect or fair play because a penalty was ruled out. A second ball that should have been called as a penalty for us was not even checked by VAR”
Hassan’s outrage went viral and has been met by many fans across social media platforms. Accusations of the World Cup being rigged for Lionel Messi and Argentina can be traced back to their memorable 2022 win and continue to dominate hot topics on the internet today.
On the other end, some fans have also spoken against Hassan’s lack of accountability for how his team collapsed. Allowing 3 open play goals in 15 minutes can only be blamed on oneself and some fans of the game have criticized Hassan for failing to acknowledge his team’s mistakes.
Nonetheless, Egypt’s 2026 World Cup is over. Their historic run ends with heartbreak in Atlanta.
There have been numerous questionable calls or no-calls this World Cup. VAR has been at the root of many controversial endings and decisions. This World Cup has been a test of emotions but also one of awareness.
Many fans have claimed bias towards Argentina but I beg to differ. A similar call under the umbrella of VAR was made at the end of Portugal and Croatia’s Round of 32 match, which overturned a goal by Croatia that would have sent the game into extra time. Instead, Portugal marched on.
5 days prior when Portugal played Colombia in Miami, a VAR review led to a goal by Colombian defender Deiver Machado being overturned, after the technology concluded that he was offside literally by a toe. Had it stood, Colombia would have won 1-0 considering how late the goal was. Instead, they left with a 0-0 draw, still winning group K.
The advancement of technology is a part of the sport we will simply have to accept. The decision to review certain calls is still human which leaves room for error, but what we use to review these things is now part of football.
On the other end of things, Lionel Messi continues to defy all odds. I’d argue this game was special to him because it was a representation of his international career. The first 75 minutes were full of any and all types of heartbreak; a missed penalty, multiple dispossessions, bad passes. Similar to the Copa America final in 2016, Messi seemed defeated and ready to accept that. But former Swedish superstar and FOX analyst Zlatan Ibrahimovic said it best postgame.
“He spent the first half reminding us that he’s human, and the 2nd half reminding us that he’s not human”
After retiring from international football in 2016 due to the shame of feeling he let his country down, Messi returned to bring his nation glory, which he did; bringing home a Copa America in 2021, a Finalissima in 2022, a World Cup in 2022, and another Copa America in 2024.
Lionel Messi yesterday stared at the end of his book. But then he reminded the world who the author was, and that’s what makes him special.