A goal canceled by VAR, a series of yellow cards for Egypt and contrasting emotions from both captains ended the game.
Published July 7, 2026
Argentina’s dream of retaining the World Cup trophy is still alive, but it was tainted by a controversial refereeing decision as the holders came from behind to win despite Egypt’s brave fight in the high atmosphere of Atlanta Stadium.
The reigning world champions were trailed twice by the Pharaohs, but came back from behind to win 3-2 in the last-16 match on Tuesday.
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With less than a third of normal time remaining, Egypt led 2-0 despite the goal being canceled and looked on the verge of defeating the world champions.
Cristian Romero’s header cut the gap in half in the 79th minute, and four minutes later, Lionel Messi scored his eighth goal of the tournament to make it 2-2, securing Argentina’s title defense.
In the third minute of second-half stoppage time, Enzo Fernandes connected with a cross from Lautaro Martinez and scored with a brilliant header into the bottom corner of the goal, completing an incredible comeback with three goals in 13 minutes.
What is the VAR controversy in the World Cup match between Argentina and Egypt?
Egypt will forever be remembered for giving Argentina the lead, but before Mostafa Zico’s goal found the back of the net again to make it 2-0, there was a sense of injustice when the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ruled it out.
At the end of Egypt’s impressive run, Zico laid up the ball in front of goal and No. 11 scored from close range. He then took off his shirt while running and started making a fuss, but minutes later Egypt’s joy turned to sadness as VAR spotted a foul in the build-up to the goal and it was ruled invalid.
Match commentators said at the time that the call was beyond VAR’s authority, but the International Football Association Board (IFAB) rulebook says it can be interpreted differently.
According to IFAB rules, VAR can be used in “periods of play before and after an incident as may be considered by the Laws of the Game and the VAR Protocol.”
In addition, review is also allowed for “attacks by the attacking team in the build-up to a goal or in the scoring of a goal (handball, foul, offside, etc.)”.
How many yellow cards were given in Argentina vs. Egypt?
After Argentina took the lead, the Pharaohs’ impressive run came to an end as the referee handed out a series of yellow cards to Mohamed Salah’s side.
The first goal was awarded to goalkeeper Mostafa Shobair, then Hamdi Fatih, and then Marwan Attia was awarded a point for a foul.
Egypt felt they deserved a penalty before leaving and protested loudly, but to no avail except for talisman and captain Salah, who got into an altercation with the referee when he tried to intervene in the heat of the game, resulting in coach Hossam Hassan being shown a yellow card.
What happened after the full-time whistle in the Argentina-Egypt match?
Salah’s team were in a state of shock when the referee blew the full-time whistle in what was likely to be the 35-year-old’s last game on the biggest stage against Egypt.
Elsewhere on the field, Salah’s Argentine player burst into tears. Messi scored his 21st World Cup goal, not only leveling the score but also inspiring Argentina to pull off a stunning comeback and advance to the quarter-finals.
