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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Jack Rathborn

Egypt star claims World Cup is ‘directed towards Argentina’ after controversial loss

  • Egypt's Mostafa Ziko accused the World Cup of being "fixed" and said it was “directed towards Argentina following his side’s controversial 3-2 last 16 defeat by the South American nation, where Egypt had a goal disallowed and protested a perceived foul before Argentina's winning goal .
  • Manager Hossam Hassan expressed fury over "unfair" decisions by referee Francois Letexier, stating he would "never watch the World Cup again" due to a lack of justice and fair play.
  • Argentina secured a late comeback victory after trailing 2-0, with Egypt claiming a penalty was denied before Enzo Fernandez scored the winning goal in stoppage time.
  • Ziko's goal, which would have put Egypt 1-0 up, was controversially disallowed, and Mohamed Salah also claimed a penalty was overlooked by officials.
  • Hassan further criticised the 12pm ET kick-off time and suggested external factors might have influenced the outcome to keep the world champions, and potentially Lionel Messi , in the competition.

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