Former England international, Ian Wright, has said that Argentina’s winning goal in their 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup ought to have been ruled out.
Wright, the ex-Arsenal forward, contended that Salah was fouled in the lead-up to the late goal scored by Enzo Fernandez.
In a discussion with ITV Sport, he expressed his opinions regarding the video assistant referee’s role during the match.
Wright suggested that VAR should have examined the circumstances surrounding Fernandez’s goal, similar to the review that led to the disallowance of Mostafa Ziko’s goal earlier in the game.
He said (via Daily Mirror), “That’s what happening with VAR now, they’re pulling it back. 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’s been caught. Whatever we say, it might be minimal, he’s been caught and then they go up the other end.”
The match was marked by several contentious refereeing calls.
Ziko’s goal was reviewed and subsequently disallowed due to a foul on Lisandro Martinez in the 58th minute.
In contrast, Salah fell in the penalty area after being tackled by Julian Alvarez during the build-up to Argentina’s third goal. Wright believed this incident warranted a thorough review and examination.
Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa gave Egypt a 2-0 lead with goals in the 15th and 67th minutes. However, Argentina responded with goals from Cristian Romero, Lionel Messi, and a last-minute winner from Fernandez, securing a 3-2 victory.