What was the VAR controversy in the second half of Argentina vs Egypt?

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkFrench referee Francois Letexier speaks with Egypt's Mohamed Salah during the match [Roberto Schmidt/AFP]By Anushe EngineerPublished On 7 Jul 20267 Jul 2026Argentina’s dreams of retaining their World Cup trophy remain alive but have been tainted by controversial refereeing decisions as the holders pulled off a comeback win despite Egypt’s valiant fight in a highly charged atmosphere at Atlanta Stadium.The reigning world champions trailed the Pharaohs before completing a 3-2 comeback win in their last-16 match on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Overturn this’: USA derided as football trumps politics in Belgium winlist 2 of 4Anyone who doesn’t feel for Palestinians is not human: Egypt coach Hassanlist 3 of 4Cristiano Ronaldo’s World Cup career ends as Spain defeat Portugallist 4 of 4‘Source of pride’: Egypt backs team to topple Argentina in World Cup matchend of listWith less than a third of the normal time remaining on the clock, Egypt were on the brink of dumping out the world champions as they led 2-0 despite having a goal disallowed.Cristian Romero’s headed goal cut the deficit in half in the 79th minute and, four minutes later, Lionel Messi scored his eighth goal of the tournament to make it 2-2 and keep alive Argentina’s title defence.Enzo Fernandez sealed the deal for the South Americans in the third minute of stoppage time when he got on the end of a cross from Lautaro Martinez and headed brilliantly into the bottom corner to complete a stunning turnaround of three goals in 13 minutes.What was the VAR controversy in the Argentina vs Egypt World Cup match?Egypt will forever be remembered for giving Argentina a run for their money, but with a sense of injustice after a video assistant referee (VAR) decision ruled out a Mostafa Ziko goal when Egypt were winning 1-0, although he later found the back of the net again to make it 2-0.Ziko was at the end of a brilliant run by Egypt as Salah laid up the ball for him in front of goal and the number 11 slotted it in from close range. He then launched a wild celebration, taking off his shirt on a run, but Egypt’s joy turned into sorrow minutes later as VAR spotted a foul in the build-up to the goal, deeming it void.Match commentators had stated at the time that the decision was beyond VAR’s remit, but the decision can be interpreted differently according to the International Football Association Board’s (IFAB) rulebook, the Laws of the Game.VAR can be used in “the period of play before and after an incident that can be reviewed is determined by the Laws of the Game and VAR protocol,” according to IFAB’s rules.Additionally, a review is allowed for “attacking team offence in the build-up to or scoring of the goal (handball, foul, offside etc).”How many yellow cards were given in Argentina vs Egypt?The Pharaohs’ brilliant run unravelled after Argentina took the lead, as the referee dished out yellow card after yellow card to Mohamed Salah’s side.The first one was given to goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir, then to Hamdi Fathy, followed by one for Marwan Attia for a foul.Egypt felt they deserved a penalty before the breakaway and vociferously complained but to no avail, save for head coach Hossam Hassan being shown a yellow card for arguing with the referee as talisman and captain Salah tried to mediate in the heat of the moment.Egypt’s head coach Hossam Hassan argues with referee Francois Letexier [Buda Mendes/Getty Images/AFP]What happened after the full-time whistle in the Argentina vs Egypt match?Salah’s side was in a state of shock as the referee blew the full-time whistle on what was likely the 35-year-old’s final match for Egypt on the biggest stage.Elsewhere on the field, Salah’s Argentinian counterpart was in tears; Messi scored his 21st World Cup goal to not only equalise but inspire Argentina to stage a stunning comeback and advance to the quarterfinals.Argentina’s forward #10 Lionel Messi is lifted by teammates as they celebrate after winning the 2026 World Cup round of 16 football match between Argentina and Egypt at Atlanta Stadium in Atlanta on July 7, 2026. [AFP]