Egypt are not happy. Not even a little bit. After crashing out of the World Cup in circumstances that have left their players and fans absolutely fuming, the Egyptians have pointed the finger squarely at what they're calling an injustice, with some going as far as suggesting the officials had a soft spot for Lionel Messi. Strong words, and the kind that tend to follow you around if you're not careful.
The game itself was one of those matches that will be talked about for years. Being two goals down with the clock ticking down is the kind of situation where most teams are already thinking about their flights home. The fact that the winning side managed to claw it back and get the job done without even needing extra time is the sort of thing that sounds made up when you try to explain it down the pub. But football has a funny way of writing scripts that no screenwriter would dare submit.
Now, the Messi favouritism angle is one that needs handling carefully. Is there a case that referees sometimes treat the game's biggest names with a certain level of deference? Honestly, probably yes, and that's been a conversation in football for a long time. But blaming a defeat entirely on that is a dangerous road to go down. Egypt will need to look at themselves too, because letting a two-goal lead slip like that doesn't happen because of one man or one decision.
That said, the frustration is completely understandable. Losing a World Cup match in those circumstances would test anyone's composure, and when emotions are running hot, it's easy to look for someone else to blame. Egypt fans have every right to feel hard done by if they genuinely believe the officiating was off. Whether the evidence fully backs that up is another question entirely.
What this does do is add another wild chapter to what is shaping up to be a genuinely entertaining tournament. The drama is real, the tension is real, and the fallout is clearly very real too.
Let me know your thoughts.