Egypt's Ziko claims World Cup is 'fixed' after disallowed goal in Argentina loss

Egypt's World Cup journey ended in controversy as Mostafa Ziko accused officials of clear and obvious injustice following their round of 16 exit against Argentina. Ziko, whose first-half goal was disallowed by VAR, expressed frustration, stating the referee was against them from the start and that the "tournament is fixed."

"He is wasting the efforts of an entire country," Ziko told broadcasters after the match. "The tournament is fixed. God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs."

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No fair, no fair, referee, no fair. Injustice, clear and obvious injustice. He is wasting the efforts of an entire country. From the start of the match, he was against us. It is not allowed for us to leave as 2-0 winners against Argentina. The tournament is fixed. God is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.

Egypt had stunned the defending champions by taking a 2-0 lead with goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Ziko himself. Goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir had also made crucial saves, including denying Lionel Messi from the penalty spot, to maintain Egypt's advantage.

However, Argentina mounted a dramatic comeback in the final 13 minutes. Cristian Romero headed in a free-kick from Messi, who then equalized with a powerful strike. Enzo Fernandez completed the turnaround in stoppage time, securing a 3-2 victory for Argentina and breaking Egyptian hearts.

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We wanted to make them happy today. We couldn't do that. But I swear it was out of our hands. It is in the referee's hands. The tournament is fixed, it is obvious anyway.