Egypt’s Coach Blamed Everyone After Messi’s Argentina Stole a Win. The Replays Tell a Different Story.

Egypt was 15 minutes away from the biggest upset in World Cup history. Then Lionel Messi did what Lionel Messi does, Argentina scored three times in 12 minutes, and the dream turned into a meltdown.

The 3-2 loss in the Round of 16 on Tuesday sent Egypt home, but not before their manager made some noise that’s still echoing. Hossam Hassan didn’t just lose a game. He lost his composure, blaming the referees, VAR, and basically everyone in a FIFA blazer for what he called a rigged outcome.

Let’s back up. Egypt made the knockout stage for the first time ever this year. That’s the good part. They beat Australia on penalties in the Round of 32. They held a 2-1 lead against the defending champs with a quarter hour left. And then Argentina’s pressure cracked them open.

Hassan didn’t see it that way. He told reporters after the game that the officiating was biased toward Argentina. He claimed a penalty was denied on Mo Salah without a VAR check. He said Egypt’s second goal was disallowed for no good reason. And he suggested, without evidence, that FIFA wanted the world champions and their global icon to keep playing.

“We looked better than the reigning champions — better in everything — but the result was influenced by internal factors on the pitch and external factors off it,” Hassan said. “Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running.”

He also questioned the referee selection, pointing to the France-Argentina final in 2022 as a reason the official shouldn’t have been assigned. That’s a stretch, and it felt like a guy searching for reasons that didn’t involve his own team’s collapse.

Look, Egypt had a legit argument on the Salah penalty shout. It looked like contact in the box. But the disallowed goal? Replays showed an offside call that was close but correct. And the three Argentina goals came from open-play pressure, not bad calls. Messi set up the equalizer, then scored what turned out to be the winner himself.

Egypt’s best World Cup run ends in controversy

Here’s the thing nobody’s saying out loud: this was still the best World Cup Egypt ever had. One win, three draws, one loss. They scored eight goals, played Argentina even for 75 minutes, and showed they belong in the conversation. That’s real progress.

But Hassan’s postgame rant overshadowed all of it. Instead of talking about how his team pushed the champs to the limit, the narrative is now about conspiracy theories and sour grapes. That’s a shame, because the players deserved better after that effort.

Egypt’s focus now shifts to qualifying for the 2027 African Cup of Nations. They’ll face Angola, Malawi, and South Sudan in group play. The talent is there. The question is whether this team can channel the frustration into something useful instead of letting it fester.