Mohamed Salah and Alexis Mac Allister shared a heartfelt moment after Egypt's dramatic 3-2 World Cup round-of-16 loss to Argentina, exchanging shirts amid the controversy that followed the match. The former Liverpool teammates embraced at full-time, showing mutual respect despite the tension surrounding the result.
Argentina's stunning comeback
Argentina scored three goals in less than 15 minutes to overturn a 2-0 deficit and secure their place in the quarter-finals. They will face Switzerland after defeating Colombia on penalties in the other round-of-16 match. The reigning world champions' fightback left Egypt devastated, as they were knocked out of the tournament.
Controversial refereeing decisions
The match was not without its contentious moments. Egypt was incensed by the manner of Argentina's winning goal, scored by Enzo Fernandez from a header in stoppage time. The Pharaohs believed Salah had been fouled by Julian Alvarez in the build-up. Earlier, Egypt had a goal disallowed by VAR after Marwan Attia was adjudged to have fouled Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez, robbing Salah of an assist.
Egypt's coaching staff protested vehemently. One staff member was dismissed, and manager Hossam Hassan received a yellow card after repeatedly forming an 'X' with his arms, FIFA's recognised "No Racism Gesture" to flag potential racial abuse to the match official.
Salah and Mac Allister's mutual respect
Despite the outrage from Egypt and the jubilation in the Argentine camp, Salah and Mac Allister demonstrated their admiration for each other. They embraced and exchanged shirts after the final whistle. Salah has since departed Liverpool this summer after agreeing to waive the final year of his contract, while Mac Allister will rejoin the Reds squad later in the summer as pre-season begins.
Egypt's fury continues
Egyptian winger Mostafa Ziko, whose goal was ruled out before he doubled Egypt's lead in the second half, suggested the World Cup had been "rigged." In an interview with a tournament broadcaster via BBC Sport, Ziko said: "The referee was really not fair. Not fair. The injustice was clear. We did a good job in the early stages of the match. There's been an unfairness right from the start. A 2-0 lead isn't enough to beat Argentina. It's clear that this tournament has been fixed. But God is sufficient for us."
Manager Hossam Hassan echoed these sentiments, claiming his team had been "treated unfairly" and had "suffered injustice." He suggested the outcome was influenced by "internal" and "external" factors and revealed Egypt had raised objections to the appointment of referee Francois Letexier.
