Argentina beats Egypt 3-2 after controversial VAR decision

Argentina has advanced to the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals after a stunning 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt in a match marred by a highly controversial refereeing decision. The dramatic round of 16 fixture, played on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at Atlanta Stadium, saw the reigning world champions score three times in the final 12 minutes to overturn a two-goal deficit and eliminate Egypt from the tournament.

Egypt, a significant underdog, had taken a shock lead and appeared to double it in the 58th minute when star forward Mostafa Ziko finished a counterattack. However, after a lengthy Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, French referee François Letexier disallowed the goal. The review focused on an incident at the start of the move, where Egypt's Marwan Attia was judged to have stepped on the foot of Argentine defender Lisandro Martínez near the center circle. The decision to rescind the goal for a foul that occurred far from the scoring play ignited immediate fury from the Egyptian team and widespread debate.

Despite the setback, Egypt maintained a 2-0 lead until the 79th minute. Argentina's comeback began with a goal from Cristian Romero, assisted by Lionel Messi. Messi then...