Mostafa "Zico" Mohamed, initially planning a summer vacation, received an unexpected call-up to the Egyptian national team for the World Cup. He has since become a standout performer, scoring and assisting in Egypt's historic 3-1 victory over New Zealand, their first-ever World Cup win, and is now crucial to their knockout stage aspirations.
Egypt's players and Coach Hossam Hassan blasted FIFA and accused the governing body of blatantly 'favouring' Lionel Messi and his team.
Argentina produced a stunning comeback after falling two goals behind, scoring twice in four minutes through Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi to beat Egypt 3-2 in their last 16 clash of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Atlanta on Tuesday.
FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has staunchly defended the officiating in Argentina's 3-2 World Cup victory over Egypt, dismissing allegations of bias and asserting that match officials operated with complete independence, despite Egypt's complaints about unfair treatment.
The Egyptian Football Association on Wednesday criticised refereeing decisions in Egypt's dramatic 3-2 World Cup round-of-16 defeat by Argentina, saying it would not remain silent over what it described as the improper use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
Mohamed Salah scored and assisted as Egypt came from behind to beat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver, securing the country's first-ever FIFA World Cup victory and moving top of Group G.
Egypt's national football coach, Hossam Hassan, has vehemently blamed 'unfair' refereeing decisions and 'external factors' for his team's dramatic World Cup elimination by Argentina, stating he will no longer watch the tournament.
Lionel Messi extended his record by scoring in a ninth straight FIFA World Cup match as Argentina fought back from 2-0 down to beat Egypt 3-2 and keep their title defence alive.
Egypt secured their first-ever World Cup knockout victory, defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in a last-32 match at Dallas Stadium, advancing to the last-16.
Argentina battled their way into the semis after edging Cape Verde and Switzerland in extra time and coming from 2-0 down to defeat Egypt 3-2.
Talismanic Mohamed Salah scores twice to help Egypt rally to 3-1 win over New Zealand on Sunday.
Lionel Messi experienced an emotional rollercoaster in Argentina's World Cup last-16 tie against Egypt, missing a penalty but ultimately scoring a vital late equaliser to save his team's World Cup dream after being two goals down.
