​First things first: we didn’t watch the entire match, so while Egypt expressed clear anger over calls and non-calls, we won’t offer a judgment on that here. Were there bad refereeing decisions? Maybe. Couldn’t say with confidence. What matters most is that Argentina, trailing 2-0, struck three goals after the 78th minute, and whatever Egypt may claim about FIFA, FIFA wasn’t the goalkeeper who conceded those three goals.
That responsibility fell to Mostafa Shobeir. When you examine Argentina’s late onslaught, he was the last line of defense and he failed three times in the closing moments. Goal #1 came from a near-perfect header by Cristian Romero in the 79th minute. Shobeir got a glove to it, but it slipped past him. Goal #2 featured a brilliant pass from Julian Alvarez to Messi in the 83rd minute. As far as we’ve seen, it was the best assist of the World Cup: Alvarez placed the ball exactly where Messi could attack the goal, with perfect timing and no wasted motion by either player. It was a display of precision that would make Magic Johnson proud; there was no fault in the setup, only in the finish getting through Shobeir’s reach. He touched it, but could not stop the goal.
Goal #3 arrived in stoppage time at 90+3, when Enzo Fernandez delivered another near-perfect header. This time Shobeir was nowhere near the action and fell to the ground, overwhelmed by the moment. It’s a team game, and while he could have benefited from teammates offering better support, he remained the last line of defense and allowed three goals to slip through.
After the final whistle, Egyptian manager Hossam Hassan voiced bitter dissatisfaction, saying: “Life is unfair. The world is unfair. Okay, but why isn’t there any fairness in sports? I’m not convinced by this outcome and by the way things unfolded in this match. The referee is unfair, God is sufficient for me and the best disposer of affairs. He’s wasting the effort of an entire nation. The cup is directed towards Argentina.” While we’re not endorsing that view, it’s easy to understand why someone might argue that FIFA would prefer Argentina to advance (indeed, Duke fans will recognize the line of reasoning). Argentina’s star power and marketability are beneficial in many ways, and that perspective isn’t entirely without merit.
Still, there’s no mechanism by which FIFA could compel Shobeir to miss three crucial blocks, no way to force the Argentines to convert two brilliant headers into goals, and certainly no means to fix a pass as perfect as Alvarez’s setup to Messi for an immaculate finish. Argentina earned those chances, and they made the most of them, while Egypt’s long-standing solid goaltending could not hold up in the dying minutes.
If there’s a takeaway, it’s that Egypt’s defensive lapse in the late stages rather than some overarching conspiracy cost them this match. Their defense held firm for much of the tournament, but the collapse in the final minutes proved decisive. The blame, if one must assign it, belongs to the final third and the timing of turnover, not to FIFA or to any external interference. In the end, Argentina’s late surge tipped the balance, and Shobeir’s late misfortunes sealed the result.