CAIRO, Egypt – It was a night filled with victories and tears as Egyptians watched their team lead by two goals against reigning world champions Argentina in Atlanta, but the match took just 13 minutes to turn around and knock the Pharaohs out of the last 16 of the World Cup.
Soccer was a passion in Egypt, with millions of fans watching matches in cafes, squares, and their homes. After an impressive and tenacious performance against the world champions, the dream of reaching the quarterfinals in North America seemed just around the corner.
However, Argentina, who were two points behind until the 79th minute, made a spectacular comeback. With the clock ticking towards full-time, Lionel Messi broke the Egyptians’ hearts by scoring three goals to seal their place in the last eight.
The dramatic ending of the match turned Egyptian joy into sadness and anger at the unfairness of a series of refereeing decisions in Argentina’s favor.
However, there was also pride in the national team’s performance.
Mohamed Salah’s team played as well as any Egyptian player we have seen in recent years.
At a popular cafe in Badr Shine, part of Greater Cairo, Umm Wafa sat at a side table she had asked the cafe owner to set up so she could watch the match with her young daughters. She initially said her daughters had forced her to come, but she soon began to scream zagruta after goalkeeper Mostafa Chobeir saved Messi’s penalty in the first half to make it 0-0.
“To be honest, I was making excuses for the girls so I could watch the game…and the girls were encouraging me,” Umm Wafaa said. “For the past two days, people were talking about nothing but the match. Also, (Egypt national team coach) Hossam Hassan held up the Palestinian flag and talked about the people of Gaza, which encouraged me even more to go watch the match.”
From joy to sadness
Egypt were in dreamland when Yasser Ibrahim scored in the first half and Mostafa Zico in the second, but a harsh canceled goal in between did little to ease the mood.
Sitting opposite the cafe in Umm Wafa, tuk-tuk driver Ihab Omar was growing increasingly excited.
“If we had dreamed of the scenario that happened in the first half, we would never have imagined what happened,” he told Al Jazeera.
As time passed, Ihab became more and more optimistic. He started asking people sitting next to him who Egypt would play in the quarterfinals.
But football can be a cruel game. Argentina’s Cristian Romero scored the first goal in the 79th minute, but Ihab began to look anxious. But he didn’t lose hope yet.
He said this while muttering. “God willing, we will score the third goal and finish them off.”
But then it was the maestro Messi’s turn, setting up Romero’s opener and equalizing for Argentina just four minutes later. Just 10 minutes later, Enzo Fernandes rose to meet the cross and score Argentina’s third goal, which was the eventual winner.
Ihab became furious and overturned the table in front of him, including the drinks.
“Cruel and unfair refereeing! From the beginning, that ball was a penalty for Salah,” he said, referring to what many Egyptians said was a foul on the Egyptian captain in the build-up to the Argentine goal. Unlike Egypt’s earlier canceled goal, the possibility of a foul was not considered and Argentina’s goal stood.
Umm Wafaa was equally heartbroken, if not as angry. Victory was “within reach,” she said. But she did not blame the Egyptian players. She believed that what was at fault was an “unfair referee” who was biased against Argentina.
team pride
After the match, Ihab struggled to hold back the tears that glistened in his eyes.
“The dream was so close to being shattered, but we won and we played the match of a lifetime with Messi,” he said. “But it’s clear that FIFA doesn’t want him to leave.”
“By God, we are happy with the national team and we thank God… We fought honorably. If there had been no cheating, we would have advanced to the quarter-finals,” he said.
As well as pride in his players, the performance of the Egyptian national team at the World Cup, especially against Argentina, drew praise for coach Hassan.
Egypt’s star striker in the 1990s and still the country’s all-time top scorer, has been criticized by many Egyptians since taking charge of the national team in 2024.
One of those critics was Mohamed Antar, but as he explained in a cafe in Cairo’s Sheikh Zayed City, his opinion has changed.
“From the beginning, I was not one of Hossam Hassan’s followers or fans, but he completely changed my position towards him,” Mohamed said. “Whether it’s about the team he assembled and built, or the spirit with which he returned to the national team that we haven’t seen since the national team days of[legendary former Egyptian player Mohamed]Aboutrika’s generation, and the position that reflected each of us as Egyptians towards Gaza, and the way he did it. He comforted people through his support.”
“Today we are satisfied with the performance and play of our national team, and although we are saddened by the victory lost due to the referee, we are proud of the achievements achieved and the world’s recognition that we deserved more wins,” Mohamed said.
