Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said he was too disappointed to watch the rest of the FIFA World Cup after his side’s heartbreaking 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16 on Tuesday.
Egypt were leading 2-0 with just 11 minutes left and looked set to pull off one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. However, Lionel Messi inspired Argentina’s late comeback as the defending champions scored three goals in the closing stages to snatch victory.
After the match, Hassan blamed refereeing decisions for Egypt’s exit and said his team deserved more.
“I’m going home and won’t be watching any more games from the tournament,” Hassan told reporters during the press conference after the match.
“What happened to us wasn’t fair. We should have had a penalty, a goal was disallowed, and I don’t know why it was disallowed.”
Egypt thought they had gone 2-0 up in the 62nd minute when Mostafa Zico found the net, but the goal was ruled out after a VAR review found a foul in the build-up.
The Egyptians were also furious after they were denied a late penalty following what they believed was a foul on Hamdy Fathy. Moments later, Argentina went straight down the other end and scored the winning goal in stoppage time.
“Even if the goals came from mistakes, the biggest mistake is not getting what you’re entitled to from those responsible for making the decisions,” Hassan said.
“I’m the type of person who hates losing. And when it’s a defeat that feels unjust like today’s, I can only tell the fans not to be upset. We wanted so much to give them more joy.”
Despite the painful defeat, Hassan praised his players for carrying out the game plan and pushing one of the tournament favourites all the way.
“But what made me happy was that my players followed the game plan on many occasions and worked very well.”
Egypt surprised Argentina by taking an attacking approach early in the match instead of relying on their usual defensive style and counter-attacks.
The tactics helped them take the lead, while goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir produced several outstanding saves to keep Argentina at bay for much of the game.
Hassan also praised the commitment of his squad, pointing out that most of his players compete in the Egyptian domestic league rather than in Europe’s top competitions.
“I’m very, very satisfied with the effort they put in. Most of our players come from the Egyptian domestic league, while many players in other national teams are based in Europe and live in that professional environment.”
“Yet with predominantly local players — besides Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush — we were able to compete with anyone.”
