Mohamed Salah penalty denied vs Argentina: New angle shows referee got call right in FIFA World Cup 2026

Egypt’s Round of 16 exit to Argentina at the FIFA World Cup 2026 left fans furious, with many convinced a stoppage-time penalty on Mohamed Salah was wrongly denied. The 3-2 defeat felt unfair at the time, but another replay angle now suggests referee Francois Letexier made the right decision on that flashpoint moment.

How the dramatic match unfolded

Egypt took a 2-0 lead through Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico. Argentina fought back strongly, with Lionel Messi and Cristian Romero levelling the score at 2-2. Deep into stoppage time, Salah collected the ball on the left and drove into the penalty area. As Julian Alvarez tracked back, the Egyptian forward went down. Players and coaches immediately appealed for a penalty, but Letexier waved play on.

Seconds later, Argentina broke quickly. Enzo Fernandez scored the winner in the 93rd minute, completing a stunning comeback and knocking Egypt out of the tournament.

Egypt coach’s strong reaction to the decision

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan did not hold back after the final whistle. He accused the officials of bias and suggested the match was influenced in Argentina’s favour.

"I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck. We have been cheated unfairly today, we have suffered injustice," Hassan said.

"I will say what's on my mind regardless of the consequence. This was clearly a rigged match, and the whole world saw it.

"And I want to say one more thing. If they want Argentina to win so badly, why call everyone to come and participate?"

What the new replay angle shows

Early replays from certain camera positions made it look like Alvarez had clipped Salah from behind. The fresh angle tells a different story. Salah appears to lose his balance or overrun the ball slightly while trying to change direction. The contact with Alvarez looks minimal and does not show the defender extending a leg or making a clear tripping motion.

Instead, it seems Salah stumbled on his own before any meaningful challenge. This supports Letexier’s on-field call to play on rather than point to the spot.

Egypt’s other officiating complaints

The Mohamed Salah incident was not the only source of frustration. Egypt saw a spectacular goal by Mostafa Zico disallowed after VAR spotted an earlier foul by Marwan Attia on Lisandro Martinez in the build-up. Players also claimed Hamdy Fathy’s shirt was pulled in the moments before Fernandez scored the winner.

As more footage emerges, the Salah penalty appeal looks less like a clear error and more like a fair non-call. While Egypt had other reasons to feel hard done by, this specific moment appears to have been judged correctly by the referee. It highlights how important multiple camera angles are in settling tight calls during high-stakes knockout matches at the FIFA World Cup 2026.