SHAH ALAM - Egyptian star congratulates Argentina and expressed something on their supporters minds: "It was clear the tournament was already destined for a specific outcome."
Those were the scathing post-match remarks of Egypt winger Mostafa "Ziko" Mohamed Zaki Abdelraouf after the Pharaohs’ dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the Round of 16, as the 29-year-old accused the match officials of denying his side a famous World Cup upset.
Still visibly emotional after the final whistle, Ziko did not hold back in his assessment of the officiating.
"The referee was unfair—blatantly so. He squandered the efforts of an entire nation; from the very start of the match, he was working against us.
When asked if he had a message for Egyptian supporters following one of the country’s finest World Cup performances, Ziko apologised for the outcome.
"I apologise to them; we really wanted to bring them joy today, but we couldn’t. Honestly, it was out of our hands... it was up to the referee. It was clear the tournament was already destined for a specific outcome.
"Congratulations, congratulations to Argentina on the World Cup. Congratulations; nothing else matters now."
The comments came after one of the tournament’s most controversial knockout matches, where Egypt pushed the defending champions to the brink before their dream ended in tragic heartbreak.
Ziko, who had already made international headlines during the tournament by becoming the first Egyptian player to score and register an assist in the same World Cup match against New Zealand, was once again at the centre of the action.
With Egypt leading 1-0, the winger thought he had doubled his side’s advantage after finishing from close range following a flowing move involving Mohamed Salah. Ziko and the team celebrated as Egypt appeared to move within touching distance of a monumental upset.
However, the celebrations quickly turned to disbelief.
Following a VAR review, the goal was ruled out after officials identified a foul in the build-up. The decision sparked immediate controversy, with match commentators stating it was beyond VAR’s remit, although IFAB’s Laws of the Game allow reviews for attacking-team offences in the build-up to a goal, including fouls, handballs and offsides.
Despite the setback, Ziko refused to let the decision define his performance.
The Egyptian winger struck again in the 67th minute, this time ensuring there was no way back for the officials as he finished clinically from a cross to restore what looked to be Egypt’s commanding advantage at 2-0.
Egypt had stunned the tournament favourites from the outset. Yasser Ibrahim opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a header, while goalkeeper Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir produced another defining moment by saving Lionel Messi’s penalty in the 21st minute after Nicolas Tagliafico won the spot-kick.
With less than a third of normal time remaining, Egypt looked set to produce one of the greatest shocks in World Cup history. They led 2-0, had already seen another legitimate finish from Ziko wiped away, and had frustrated the reigning world champions throughout a fiercely contested encounter.
But the match turned dramatically in its closing stages.
Cristian Romero headed Argentina back into contention in the 79th minute before Lionel Messi levelled the match four minutes later with his eighth goal of the tournament.
Messi endured a mixed night after seeing his first-half penalty saved by Mostafa Ahmed Shobeir before redeeming himself with Argentina’s equaliser in the 83rd minute for a comeback.
Then, in the third minute of stoppage time, Enzo Fernandez completed the remarkable comeback by heading home Lautaro Martinez’s cross to seal a 3-2 victory and keep Argentina’s title defence alive.
While Argentina marched into the quarter-finals, Egypt left Atlanta Stadium with admiration from many neutrals but also a lingering sense of injustice.