Egyptian striker Mostafa Ziko launched a fierce attack on match officials following his side’s 3-2 defeat to defending champions Argentina in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup, claiming the refereeing was unfair and claiming that “the tournament is fixed.“Egypt appeared on course for one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history after taking a 2-0 lead in the 67th minute. However, Argentina produced a stunning late comeback, with Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez scored in a 13-minute spell to send the three-time world champions into the quarter-finals.One of the defining moments of the contest came early in the second half when Ziko found the net, only for the goal to be disallowed after a VAR review. The officials ruled that the Egyptian striker had committed a foul in the build-up. Although Ziko was later on the scoresheet, the canceled effort was a crucial moment in the match.Speaking to the broadcaster after the final whistle, an emotional Ziko questioned the refereeing and suggested the result had been influenced by the referees.“No fair, no fair, referee, no fair. Injustice, clear and obvious injustice. It is wasting the efforts of a whole country. From the beginning of the match, it was against us. We are not allowed to leave as 2-0 winners against Argentina. The tournament is fixed. God is enough for us, and he is the best disposed of the business”.The Egypt forward also apologized to supporters, insisting the players had done everything they could.“We wanted to make them happy today. We couldn’t do that. But I swear it was out of our hands. It’s up to the referee. The tournament is fixed, it’s obvious anyway.”Egypt had made a dream start when Yasser Ibrahim headed home from Marwan Attia’s corner in the 15th minute. Argentina had an immediate chance to respond after Nicolas Tagliafico won a penalty, but goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced an outstanding save to deny Messi from the spot.Shobeir continued to frustrate the defending champions by keeping out efforts from Alexis Mac Allister and Julian Alvarez, while Messi also hit the crossbar with a free-kick as Egypt took a 1-0 lead into the interval.The Pharaohs thought they had doubled their lead shortly after the restart through Ziko, but VAR intervened to disallow the goal. Egypt responded positively, however, and finally made it 2-0 in the 67th minute when Mohamed Salah and Haissem Hassan combined to set Ziko up for a clinical finish.Argentina’s response was swift. Romero headed in Messi’s 79th-minute free-kick to reduce the deficit before Messi leveled the scores four minutes later with a powerful shot that went off the underside of the crossbar after sweeping the goalkeeper’s gloves.With extra time approaching, Enzo Fernandez completed the dramatic turnaround in stoppage time, firing a low finish into the bottom corner after latching on to a loose ball on the edge of the box.Argentina’s 3-2 win secured their place in the quarter-finals, where they will face the winners of the Round of 16 between Switzerland and Colombia on July 8.
