Egypt manager Hossam Hassan delivered a scathing verdict after his side's dramatic 3-2 defeat to reigning world champions Argentina in the World Cup, while forward Mostafa Ziko alleged the match was rigged. The game, played in Atlanta, saw Argentina come from 2-0 down to score three unanswered goals in the closing stages, keeping their hopes of consecutive World Cup titles alive.
Controversial Decisions Spark Fury
The match was mired in controversy. Egypt had a goal disallowed by VAR following a foul earlier in the move, and they were equally furious at the failure to award a penalty just moments before Argentina's decisive winner. Ziko, who scored Egypt's second goal, was scathing in his assessment of the officials. He said: “The referee wasn’t good, he was unfair. His injustice was clear. He persecuted us from the start of the match. He doesn’t want us to win. It was a rigged game. It wasn’t our fault. That referee… it seems like this match was rigged. We were winning 2-0, and he kept coming at us. Congratulations to Argentina on another World Cup, it seems.”
Hassan: 'No Respect or Fair Play'
Hassan also launched a blistering attack after the final whistle. He said: “We haven’t seen respect or fair play. A penalty was ruled out and a second incident that should have been checked for a penalty for us was not even checked by the VAR. A second goal was remarkably, for whatever reason, disallowed. There seems to have been pressure on the Argentinian side on the referee that has brought about this outcome. Life is unfair. The world is unfair. OK, but why isn’t there any fairness in sports? I’m not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match. The referee is unfair, God is sufficient for me and the best disposer of affairs. He’s wasting the effort of an entire nation. The cup is directed towards Argentina.”
Ziko Acknowledges Argentina's Strength
Despite his anger, Ziko acknowledged the quality of the opposition. He added: “At no point did we think the match was already decided. We knew we were facing the reigning world champions. Even before the game started, we knew we would be facing a very strong team and one of the favourites for the title. But if they had won solely on their own merits it would have been very different for us.”
