Egypt’s historic run at the World Cup ended in a bittersweet, controversial, and highly charged 3-2 loss to Argentina that left the Pharaohs shaking their heads in frustration as the holders moved one step closer to defending their trophy.Argentina staged a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to avoid a shocking exit after talisman Lionel Messi equalised in the 83rd minute and Enzo Fernandez netted two minutes into stoppage time to seal the deal for the defending world champions on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe last 15 minutes of the match saw emotions run high as several alleged fouls from Argentina went unnoticed by the referee – who rescinded Egypt’s goal from Mostafa Ziko after a VAR call – and four yellow cards were handed to Egypt, including one to coach Hossam Hassan.In a move overlooked in the heat of the on-field action, Hassan crossed his arms in an “X”, a gesture to report racist abuse and activate FIFA’s antiracism protocol. The gesture should have immediately prompted the referee to halt the match and address the incident, but the whistle was only blown to signal the end of the game minutes later.On social media, users decried the injustice against Egypt while offering moral support to the Pharaohs, who had already made World Cup history with their round-of-32 win against Australia.The country’s football federation was among the first to congratulate the team on their historic achievement with a tweet, saying: “You were men of great responsibility. Proud of you. Thank you for everything.”‘Tea …
