‘World Cup is fixed’: Egypt star Mostafa Ziko blasts FIFA after Argentina’s dramatic comeback as viral video claims referee bias
The emotional outburst came after Egypt took a 2-0 lead and champions Argentina scored three goals in the final 13 minutes to book a place in the quarter-finals. The match sparked heated debate online after a four-minute compilation video claiming the referee’s decisions were in Argentina’s favor went viral on social media. The veracity of the claims in the viral clip has not been independently verified.
Egypt’s dream undone
Egypt got off to an excellent start when Yaser Ibrahim headed the ball into the net from Marwan Attia’s corner in the 15th minute.
Argentina had a chance to equalize after Nicolas Tagliafico won the penalty, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir denied it with a superb save. Lionel Messi from the ground.
Shobeir continued his heroics throughout the first half, beating the efforts of Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi rattled the crossbar with a free kick as Egypt entered the first half with a well-deserved 1-0 lead.
VAR debate changes the game
Egypt thought they had doubled their advantage when Ziko scored early in the second half, but after VAR review, the goal was canceled because the officials decided to foul during the preparation. Despite this defeat, Egypt managed to take the lead in the 67th minute when Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan combined and set up Ziko, who made no mistake in front of the goal.
However, the disallowed effort was one of the turning points of the match.
Argentina’s spectacular comeback
Argentina finally made the breakthrough in the 79th minute when Cristian Romero headed in Messi’s free kick.
Just four minutes later Messi brought the defending champions level with a powerful strike that bounced off the underside of the crossbar after brushing goalkeeper Shobeir’s gloves.
As extra time approached, Enzo Fernandez completed a remarkable turnaround in stoppage time, firing on target from the edge of the area to seal a dramatic 3-2 win.
‘The tournament has been fixed’: Ziko gets angry
Speaking after the match, Ziko emotionally accused the referee of denying Egypt a famous victory. Ziko said, “There is no justice, there is no fairness, there is no referee. Injustice, clear and obvious injustice. It wastes the efforts of a whole country. It was against us from the beginning of the match. We are not allowed to leave Argentina with a 2-0 victory. The tournament is fixed. God is enough for us, He is the one who runs things best.”
The Egyptian striker later apologized to fans and insisted the players had done everything possible. “We wanted to make them happy today. We couldn’t do it. But I swear it wasn’t in our hands. It’s in the referees’ hands. The tournament is clear, it’s already clear.”
Ziko’s claims were not supported by evidence and FIFA did not respond to Ziko’s remarks.
Viral video sparks online debate
Immediately after the final whistle, a 4-minute compilation of the match began circulating widely on social media. The video allegedly shows several incidents where Argentina allegedly took advantage of referee decisions, further fueling the debate among football fans.
The claims made in the viral clip have not yet been verified.
Argentina advanced to the quarter finals
Argentina’s dramatic comeback sends the reigning champions into the World Cup quarter-finals, where they will face Switzerland, who beat Colombia in the Round of 16.
While Argentina celebrated one of the most memorable comebacks of the tournament, Egypt had to reflect on the game they lost after being two goals ahead. The overturned VAR decision, Messi’s recent success and Fernandez’s stoppage time winner ensured that the match will be remembered for its controversies as much as its football.
