Mohamed Salah denied clear penalty vs Argentina? New angle proves referee right
Egypt feel that they were denied a clear win against Argentina in the Round of 16 in the FIFA World Cup 2026. One of the major inflection points occurred when Mohamed Salah was denied a penalty in stoppage time, a decision that could have changed the result of the game.
Mohamed Salah's stoppage-time penalty appeal against Argentina sparked outrage across Egypt, with fans, pundits and even coach Hossam Hassan accusing the referee of denying the Pharaohs a place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
But as the dust settles on one of the most controversial matches of the tournament, a new replay appears to tell a different story. The fresh angle suggests referee Francois Letexier may have got arguably the biggest decision of the night absolutely right.
The incident came deep into stoppage time with the score locked at 2-2 after Argentina had staged a stunning comeback from two goals down. Salah drove into the penalty area from the left, trying to create one final chance for Egypt after Lionel Messi and Cristian Romero had cancelled out goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico.
As Julian Alvarez sprinted back to defend, Salah went to ground inside the box. Egypt immediately appealed for a penalty, but Letexier waved play on.
Seconds later, Argentina launched a counterattack and Enzo Fernandez completed an astonishing turnaround, firing home the winner in the 93rd minute.
The decision instantly became one of the biggest talking points of the World Cup.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan launched a furious attack on the officials after the match.
"I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck. We have been cheated unfairly today, we have suffered injustice," Hassan said.
"I will say what's on my mind regardless of the consequence. This was clearly a rigged match, and the whole world saw it.
"And I want to say one more thing. If they want Argentina to win so badly, why call everyone to come and participate?"
Given the context, the outrage was understandable. A penalty at that stage could have sent Egypt 3-2 ahead, preventing the counterattack that ultimately knocked them out of the tournament.
NEW ANGLE SUGGESTS REFEREE WAS RIGHT
However, the newly surfaced replay has shifted the conversation.
Rather than Alvarez clipping Salah from behind, the footage appears to show the Liverpool forward losing his balance before making contact with the Argentine. There is little evidence of Alvarez extending a leg or making a challenge that would constitute a foul.
Instead, Salah seems to either overrun the ball while attempting to change direction or initiate the contact himself after losing control. In either case, the replay suggests there was insufficient contact from the defender to justify a penalty.
That makes Letexier's on-field decision look correct.
But that does not erase Egypt's frustrations over the rest of the evening.
The Pharaohs also saw Mostafa Zico have a spectacular goal ruled out by VAR after Marwan Attia was adjudged to have fouled Lisandro Martinez earlier in the move, while they also complained that Hamdy Fathy's shirt was pulled moments before Argentina's winning goal.
Former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry sympathised with Egypt's frustration, arguing that the biggest issue was the inconsistency in how VAR reviewed different incidents rather than any conspiracy.
Roy Keane and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, dismissed Hassan's claims that FIFA wanted Lionel Messi and Argentina to progress, insisting Egypt's inability to protect a 2-0 lead was the decisive factor.
The Salah incident had initially appeared to strengthen Egypt's case. But with the emergence of a clearer angle, that particular controversy may finally be put to rest.
After all the criticism directed at the refereeing team following the match, this is one decision that appears to have been called correctly.
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Mohamed Salah's stoppage-time penalty appeal against Argentina sparked outrage across Egypt, with fans, pundits and even coach Hossam Hassan accusing the referee of denying the Pharaohs a place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.
But as the dust settles on one of the most controversial matches of the tournament, a new replay appears to tell a different story. The fresh angle suggests referee Francois Letexier may have got arguably the biggest decision of the night absolutely right.
The incident came deep into stoppage time with the score locked at 2-2 after Argentina had staged a stunning comeback from two goals down. Salah drove into the penalty area from the left, trying to create one final chance for Egypt after Lionel Messi and Cristian Romero had cancelled out goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico.
As Julian Alvarez sprinted back to defend, Salah went to ground inside the box. Egypt immediately appealed for a penalty, but Letexier waved play on.
Seconds later, Argentina launched a counterattack and Enzo Fernandez completed an astonishing turnaround, firing home the winner in the 93rd minute.
The decision instantly became one of the biggest talking points of the World Cup.
Egypt coach Hossam Hassan launched a furious attack on the officials after the match.
"I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck. We have been cheated unfairly today, we have suffered injustice," Hassan said.
"I will say what's on my mind regardless of the consequence. This was clearly a rigged match, and the whole world saw it.
"And I want to say one more thing. If they want Argentina to win so badly, why call everyone to come and participate?"
Given the context, the outrage was understandable. A penalty at that stage could have sent Egypt 3-2 ahead, preventing the counterattack that ultimately knocked them out of the tournament.
NEW ANGLE SUGGESTS REFEREE WAS RIGHT
However, the newly surfaced replay has shifted the conversation.
Rather than Alvarez clipping Salah from behind, the footage appears to show the Liverpool forward losing his balance before making contact with the Argentine. There is little evidence of Alvarez extending a leg or making a challenge that would constitute a foul.
Instead, Salah seems to either overrun the ball while attempting to change direction or initiate the contact himself after losing control. In either case, the replay suggests there was insufficient contact from the defender to justify a penalty.
That makes Letexier's on-field decision look correct.
But that does not erase Egypt's frustrations over the rest of the evening.
The Pharaohs also saw Mostafa Zico have a spectacular goal ruled out by VAR after Marwan Attia was adjudged to have fouled Lisandro Martinez earlier in the move, while they also complained that Hamdy Fathy's shirt was pulled moments before Argentina's winning goal.
Former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry sympathised with Egypt's frustration, arguing that the biggest issue was the inconsistency in how VAR reviewed different incidents rather than any conspiracy.
Roy Keane and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, dismissed Hassan's claims that FIFA wanted Lionel Messi and Argentina to progress, insisting Egypt's inability to protect a 2-0 lead was the decisive factor.
The Salah incident had initially appeared to strengthen Egypt's case. But with the emergence of a clearer angle, that particular controversy may finally be put to rest.
After all the criticism directed at the refereeing team following the match, this is one decision that appears to have been called correctly.
FIFA World Cup | FIFA World Cup Schedule | FIFA World Cup Points Table | Football News
