Egypt exits World Cup after Argentina’s late comeback

Argentina knocked Egypt out of the World Cup round of 16 after scoring three late goals in Atlanta, ending a night that had put the Pharaohs within sight of the quarterfinals. Al Jazeera reported that the 3-2 defeat left Egyptian fans angry over refereeing decisions, while many still praised the team’s performance against the reigning world champions.

Across Egypt, supporters gathered in cafes, public squares and homes to watch a match that, for much of the night, looked like it could become one of the national team’s greatest results. Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah, took a two-goal lead before Argentina overturned the game in the final stages.

Egypt’s lead slips away

Al Jazeera reported from a cafe in Badrshein, near Cairo, where fans celebrated goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir’s first-half penalty save from Lionel Messi. Umm Wafaa, who watched with her young daughters, told Al Jazeera she had used the children as a reason to go out for the match and said Egyptians had been talking about little else for two days.

She also said Egypt coach Hossam Hassan’s public support for Palestinians in Gaza, including raising the Palestinian flag, encouraged her to watch the game outside with others.

Egypt went ahead through Yasser Ibrahim in the first half and added a second through Mostafa Zico after the break, according to Al Jazeera. An Egyptian goal was also disallowed during that spell, a decision supporters at the cafe saw as severe, but the mood remained upbeat as the team pushed closer to a place in the last eight.

Ihab Omar, a tuk-tuk driver watching at the same cafe, told Al Jazeera the first half had gone beyond what he could have imagined. As Egypt’s lead held, he began asking other fans who the team might face in the quarterfinals.

The game changed in the 79th minute when Cristian Romero scored for Argentina. Messi then equalised four minutes after creating Romero’s goal, and Enzo Fernandez scored the winner from a cross roughly 10 minutes later, according to Al Jazeera.

Fans blame decisions, praise team

After Argentina’s winner, anger spread among some Egypt supporters. Ihab overturned a table at the cafe and told Al Jazeera he believed the referee had been unfair, pointing to an incident involving Salah before one of Argentina’s goals that many Egyptian fans thought should have been reviewed.

Umm Wafaa also told Al Jazeera she believed victory had been close and blamed the referee rather than Egypt’s players. She said the team had done enough to earn respect despite the defeat.

Al Jazeera reported that the performance also changed some opinions about Hassan, who took charge in 2024 and had faced criticism from many Egyptians. Hassan, a former Egypt striker and the national team’s all-time top scorer, was credited by supporters with restoring spirit to the side.

Mohamed Antar, watching from a cafe in Cairo’s Sheikh Zayed City, told Al Jazeera he had not previously been a supporter of Hassan but had changed his view because of the squad he built, the team’s spirit and the coach’s stance on Gaza.

For many fans, the loss ended in frustration rather than rejection of the team. Ihab told Al Jazeera that Egypt had played “the match of a lifetime” against Messi, while Mohamed said supporters were proud of the achievement even as they mourned the win that slipped away.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.