Former England defender and football analyst Jamie Carragher has criticised the decision to disallow Egypt’s controversial goal during their dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina national football team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16.
Egypt looked on course for a historic achievement after racing into a two-goal lead against the reigning world champions, but their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals were ended by a late Argentine fightback inspired by Lionel Messi.
The turning point came in the first half when Mostafa Zico appeared to give the Pharaohs the lead after finishing a well-worked team move. However, after a VAR review, the goal was ruled out for a foul on Argentina defender Lisandro Martínez in the build-up.
The decision left Egyptian players and supporters frustrated, with many arguing that the contact was not enough to cancel out what would have been a crucial opening goal.
Carragher questioned the consistency of VAR decisions and suggested the outcome may have been different if the incident had involved another team.
“I assure you that if the goal was against another team, it would have been allowed,” Carragher said. “If it happened in the Premier League, La Liga or Serie A, it would have been a goal even after VAR review. There have been many contradictions in this tournament.”
Despite the disappointment, Egypt responded strongly and eventually extended their advantage to 2-0 through Zico, moving closer to what would have been their first-ever World Cup quarter-final appearance.
Argentina, however, produced a remarkable comeback befitting defending champions. Cristian Romero pulled one back before Messi levelled the match with his eighth goal of the tournament after earlier missing a penalty.
With the momentum shifted, Enzo Fernández completed the turnaround with the winning goal, sending Argentina into the quarter-finals and ending Egypt’s memorable campaign.
The result has intensified debate over VAR consistency at the tournament, with Carragher’s comments adding to wider concerns about refereeing decisions and the interpretation of key moments in major international competitions.
