In a scene all too familiar to Atlanta fans, a team wearing black and red blew a seemingly insurmountable lead to an opponent led by arguably the best player of all time.
This time, it wasn’t the Atlanta Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead; it was Egypt blowing a 2-0 lead against defending World Cup champions Argentina, eventually losing 3-2 on a stoppage-time goal.
However, you could argue that Egypt should have had three goals as well.
The African side was up 1-0 when Haissem Hassan passed the ball to Mo Salah, who slid it over to Mostafa Ziko for a goal at the 58-minute mark. However, video-assisted replay (VAR) showed that Egypt’s Marwan Attia got tied up with Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez on the other side of the pitch. It was ruled a foul retroactively, and the goal was disallowed.
VAR review of a foul 100 yards away erases a second Egypt goal vs. Argentina, as seen and heard on the Fox broadcast. #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/NMGuL1zbUS https://t.co/VFBcSpZVNW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 7, 2026
In the aftermath, Fox Sports broadcaster Rob Green said what many watching at home were thinking: What are we even doing here?
Rob Green: “A hundred yards away, someone stepping on someone’s toe, is not why VAR was brought into the game. We’ve gotten to a point now where it’s reaching far beyond the powers that it should have. The referee saw the tackle, decided not to give it…”
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing.bsky.social) July 7, 2026 at 10:43 AM
“A hundred yards away, someone stepping on someone’s toe, is not why VAR was brought into the game. We’ve gotten to a point now where it’s reaching far beyond the powers that it should have,” said Green. “The referee saw the tackle, decided not to give it, and then Egypt, with a brilliant breakaway goal, have been denied a two-goal cushion.
Egypt scored again ten minutes later, seemingly undoing the damage, but that was before Lionel Messi and Argentina mounted an epic comeback.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.