Atlanta [US], July 8 : Following his side's loss in the round of 16 FIFA World Cup clash against defending champions Argentina, Egypt's Mostafa Ziko, whose first goal was disallowed by the VAR, alleged that the officiating was not fair throughout the match and his team faced "clear and obvious injustice". He also added that the "tournament is fixed".
Egypt was 2-0 up in the 67th minute and looked set to deliver one of the most stunning shockers of FIFA World Cup history. But the class and big-match pedigree of the three-time champions came out on top as they stormed to a win with goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez within a matter of just 13 minutes.
A big moment of this match was Zico's first strike being disallowed by VAR, with the officials concluding that he had committed a foul on an Argentina player. While Ziko managed to score just minutes later, the disallowed goal will no doubt go down as a massive 'what if' for Egyptian football fans and pinch them.
Speaking to the broadcaster after the match, Ziko said, "No fair, no fair, referee, no fair. Injustice, clear and obvious injustice. He is wasting the efforts of an entire country. From the start of the match, he was against us. It is not allowed for us to leave as 2-0 winners against Argentina. The tournament is fixed. God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs."
Ziko also apologised to the fans back home, saying, "We wanted to make them happy today. We couldn't do that. But I swear it was out of our hands. It is in the referee's hands. The tournament is fixed, it is obvious anyway."
Coming to the match, Egypt stunned Argentina in the 15th minute when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from Marwan Attia's corner. Argentina had an immediate chance to respond after Nicolas Tagliafico won a penalty, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir denied Lionel Messi from the spot. Shobeir continued his impressive display by saving efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi also struck the crossbar with a free-kick as Egypt held a 1-0 lead at half-time.
Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage early in the second half through Mostafa Ziko, but the goal was ruled out following a VAR review. The Pharaohs were not to be denied for long, however, as Ziko finished off a swift counterattack in the 67th minute after good work from Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan to make it 2-0.
Argentina responded with renewed urgency after introducing attacking reinforcements. Cristian Romero reduced the deficit in the 79th minute, heading in Messi's inviting free-kick.
Just four minutes later, Messi levelled the contest with a powerful strike from the edge of the box that found the net after clipping the goalkeeper's gloves and the underside of the crossbar.
With extra time looming, Argentina completed their remarkable turnaround in stoppage time. A loose ball fell kindly to Enzo Fernandez on the edge of the penalty area, and the midfielder calmly slotted a low finish into the bottom corner to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory. The win sends Argentina into the quarter-finals, where they will face the winners of the Round of 16 clash between Switzerland and Colombia on July 8 (IST)