Argentina pulled off one of the comebacks of the year as they clawed their way back from two goals down to win 3-2 against Egypt in the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday. The game, which became an instant classic, provided plenty of food for thought and left nobody indifferent.
The game was on the cover of most major sports newspapers. Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport titled “Messi’s ecstasy,” while France’s L’Equipe went with “The miracles of the Nile.”
Germany’s Bild branded it “Messi magic,” while United States-based sports site The Athletic called it an “all-time great World Cup comeback.”
The game even made the front pages of several Spanish newspapers, despite Spain itself securing its ticket to the quarters on the same day. AS referenced the survival drama film about the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes mountains, going with “Viven,” while Mundo Deportivo titled “Pharoah Messi.”
The news also made the cover of the United States daily newspaper The Washington Post and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the most widely circulated newspaper from the city where the game was played.
Controversies also in the spotlight
The epics by Argentina and its captain, Lionel Messi, weren’t the only things international outlets highlighted.
Madrid-based Marca, the sports outlet with the highest readership in Spain, questioned the refereeing decisions in the Argentina game, taken by Francois Letexier, who correctly disallowed an Egypt goal and awarded a penalty that Messi missed.
Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Ahram said the match “will be remembered less for Argentina’s resilience and more for the storm of controversy surrounding the officiating.”
Qatari outlet Al Jazeera highlighted Letexier’s decision to disallow what would’ve been, at the time, Egypt’s second goal after the play started with a foul on an Argentine player, calling it an “unusually late” summon by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
It also pointed to the close relationship between Argentine president Javier Milei and U.S. mandatary Donald Trump, who, just days earlier, had admitted to speaking with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to review a red card on U.S. star Folarin Balogun.
The VAR call was at the center of complaints, with former England international and pundit Alan Shearer criticizing the consistency of the calls and pointing out a potential foul on Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah at the start of the play that led to Argentina’s third goal.
“Either both are fouls, or neither is a foul,” posted Shearer on his X account.
Another former England striker, Ian Wright, highlighted the same difference while commenting on the game for the British public-service television network ITV.
“If you’re going to pull it back for Argentina on the edge of the box to disallow a goal, you have to pull it back for this one with Mo Salah,” he said.
Several outlets reported an alleged quote by Real Madrid head coach José Mourinho calling the game “daylight robbery,” although Al Jazeera later posted a correction on its article, removing the quote after being “unable to find a trustworthy source” for it.
The Herald has also been unable to confirm whether Mourinho made the comments in question.
Cover image: Selección Argentina Twitter
