Referee expert says VAR got both key calls wrong in Argentina's comeback win over Egypt

Argentina survived a 2-0 deficit to beat Egypt 3-2 at the World Cup, with Lionel Messi and Enzo Fernandez among the scorers, but the result has been overshadowed by two VAR decisions that former Premier League referee Mark Halsey says were both handled incorrectly.

Egypt had looked set for one of the tournament’s biggest upsets, with Yasser Ibrahim opening the scoring in the 15th minute before Mostafa Zico appeared to double the lead with a goal that was subsequently ruled out. VAR reviewed a foul on Lisandro Martinez at the start of the move and chalked off the effort, a call Halsey believes should never have been made.

“The second goal that Egypt scored through Zico was a fantastic goal,” Halsey told The Sun. “Do we want goals like that ruled out? They’ve gone all the way back for a foul on Martinez, which is correct because VAR can check from that moment as it’s in the same phase of play. But was it enough? Was it a clear and obvious error for VAR to get involved? I would say no.”

Argentina eventually levelled before Fernandez struck a late winner — moments after Mohamed Salah went down inside the penalty area under a challenge from a defender. Egypt’s appeals for a penalty were waved away, and VAR did not intervene. Halsey argues that decision exposed a fundamental inconsistency: if the contact on Martinez was sufficient to disallow Zico’s goal, the contact on Salah should have been sufficient to award Egypt a penalty.

“This is where, for me, the inconsistency comes in,” Halsey said. “Salah goes into the box and he’s caught by the defender before Argentina go up the other end and make it 3-2. If you’re looking at the Zico goal and the challenge on Martinez, if that’s disallowed for a foul then exactly the same has got to be applied to Salah. You could argue both are the same, so why haven’t VAR got involved in the Salah incident?”

Halsey’s conclusion is that VAR should have stayed out of both incidents entirely, but that once officials intervened in the Martinez challenge, they were obligated to apply the same standard to Salah. “For me, VAR should not have got involved in either, but as they got involved in the Martinez challenge, they have to look at the Salah challenge — and that’s where the inconsistency lies,” he said. “We have seen so many inconsistencies now involving VAR, and for me, you either get involved in neither of them or you get involved in both of them.”

Egypt’s exit leaves Argentina advancing from the group stage, though the manner of the win is likely to fuel ongoing debate about the application of VAR at this World Cup.