Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan says they 'have suffered injustice', following VAR upset. He will not be watching any more games the FIFA World Cup 2026™ tournament. Lionel Messi inspires Argentina’s fightback, before Enzo Fernandez completed an incredible 3-2 comeback deep into stoppage time. Switzerland eliminated Colombia 4-3 on penalties to reach their first World Cup quarter-final since 1954. Ruben Vargas struck the winning penalty. Join your host Haylena Krishnamoorthy for this episode of World Cup Daily | The 90+ Podcast, as she breaks today’s results with SBS Spanish Executive Producer, Carlos Colina, ahead of the France vs Morocco match on Friday.
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TRANSCRIPT
“For Latin Americans, this is a religion, and they were so close.”
What a day of football.
A dramatic comeback, a penalty shootout, and now our World Cup quarter-final line-up is set.
We'll start with arguably the match of the tournament so far.
Argentina is through to the quarter-finals, but only just.
The reigning world champions looked to be heading for a shock exit after Egypt raced to a two-goal lead.
“Red shirts racing back as fast as they can! (crowd roars) Oh my word! I have seen it all now. Enzo Fernandez for Argentina. Bedlam in Atlanta! In added time! The world champions are still in it! It's a heartbreaker for Egypt.”
But Lionel Messi inspired the fightback before Enzo Fernandez completed an incredible 3-2 comeback deep into stoppage time.
It was heartbreak for Egypt, who had arguably been the better side for much of the match.
Egypt thought they'd put the game to bed when they found the net for what looked like a 2-nil lead, but VAR stepped in and ruled the goal out.
The Pharaohs were left fuming after a challenge in the box wasn't reviewed.
Speaking after the match, Egypt's coach Hossam Hassan, says he will not be watching any more games of this World Cup.
“I am saying that we deserved to win. I do not want to say 'hard luck' to us, no. We went out with honour, honour on our part. But the result was far from the 'fair play' that the federation, FIFA, talks about. There was no respect, no 'respect', and no 'fair play' today. Today, there was no respect and no fair play. Today, we had a penalty not given. The second ball should have been a penalty for us. The referee, not even the VAR, even tried to look at it. We had a goal, the second goal, it was 2-0, and it was disallowed in a strange way. The VAR is also the one that (cancelled it) but there was no VAR. The referee, when our man was pulled inside the 18-yard box, which rebounded against us as a goal—we were at 2-1—but he did not even bother to look at the VAR. He did not bother to go out to the VAR (screen). But the VAR is there to disallow a goal of ours. Life is still, and the world is still, not fair. The world is not fair.”
I spoke to SBS Spanish Executive Producer Carlos Colina, who says Egypt showed exactly how vulnerable Argentina can be.
“Egypt played an amazing match against Argentina, and perhaps the failure, was at the end. They lost concentration. But Egypt was outplaying Argentina most of the match, and, and it was an amazing, also good goalkeeper that maintained their own portal at zero and for most of the match, even, you know, blocking Messi's penalty. And they played great.”
Carlos says Argentina is still searching for its best football.
“I can say Argentina is not playing at its best, and it's showing in most matches. They, they are struggling with several teams that they have played before, and now they are going to face Switzerland in the next stage, in quarterfinals. And, everyone was expecting Colombia to be there, however Switzerland is their next opponent. But yes, focusing on what the team is doing, Messi didn't score a penalty, and it show in, in the energy that the team had throughout the match.”
But says that eventually changed in today's match.
“At the end when Romero scored the first one, the, the spirits came back to every single player in Argentina and, and with concentration and maturity and the expertise that the players have in the big stage, they definitely got that, back, that, that energy and scored the three-two, one by Messi, of course, and now he becomes again the highest scorer in this tournament.”
So Argentina survives, but there are still plenty of questions ahead of the quarter-finals.
The second match of the day couldn't have been more different.
After 120 tense minutes without a goal, Switzerland eliminated Colombia 4-3 on penalties to reach their first World Cup quarter-final since 1954.
Ruben Vargas struck the winning penalty.
“It's all over, Switzerland are going to the quarter final of the World Cup and they've got a date with Lionel Messi and Argentina in Kansas City.”
For Colombian fans, it's a devastating result.
Watching the game in Sydney, this fan supporting Colombia told SBS they're sad, but proud of the team.
“It was very exciting to just watch Colombia. Unfortunately, we lost. It was a 50-50 chance for us. We knew it was a hard one. But we're happy that we came to here. It was really tough. You know it (penalty shootout) is not our strength. So we already knew that coming to penalties it was going to be really hard for Colombia. Either or we are going to lose or it was going to be a challenging one.”
Carlos says Colombia played some excellent football, but just couldn't find the finish they needed.
“Even Colombia was playing way better than Switzerland, but they never scored, and this is a problem of course many teams that they are playing magnificent soccer, but they are not scoring, and at the end, who scores is who wins. So, Switzerland is a very methodic and very organised team, and they know how to outplay their opponents. They are very, very dangerous team, but they are in the same situation that Colombia, they don't score.”
Switzerland now sets up a quarter-final against Argentina.
Goalkeeper Gregor Kober says he can't put their feelings in words.
“I'm really bad on talking about my emotions right after the game, I'm a little bit, yeah, speechless. It's just (an) incredible feeling, an incredible win for us, to be here, to be in the quarter-finals at the World, on this stage.”
Carlos says while the Swiss aren't the tournament's biggest attacking threat, they're incredibly organised and disciplined.
“Probably the failure for Switzerland is that they need a more consistent strike base, and they don't have it at the moment or they haven't shown that in this tournament.”
Elsewhere, attention now turns to Spain and Belgium, with Carlos expecting another huge European showdown as both teams chase a place in the semi-finals.
“Spain hasn't been very consistent in this tournament, and we saw that in the first stage where they couldn't beat Cabo Verde and they were in trouble, in so many matches. They, in the last match they were better, but still there's a question mark on how can they, win the next match against Belgium because Belgium is becoming a powerful team and is increasingly, growing in confidence and they're becoming an amazing team in this tournament. So it's two European countries there playing for, a position or a place in the semifinal, and I think Belgium is going to be a phenomenal opponent for Spain.”
Switzerland will now face Argentina on Sunday, July 12 at 11 am AEST.
I'll be back with you on Friday with the first quarter final match: France vs Morocco.
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