In briefEgypt were leading 2-0 with 11 minutes to go when reigning champions Argentina staged a late comeback.Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan claimed his side were "cheated" out of a win after VAR and referees' calls went against his side.Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan has claimed his side were "cheated" out of a spot in the World Cup quarter-finals after Argentina staged a stunning late comeback from two goals down to win their Round of 16 clash. The Pharaohs were 2-0 up with 11 minutes left against the reigning champions, on the verge of one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history, only to concede three goals and bow out of the tournament.At an explosive press conference after the loss, Hassan said: "I do not want to put it nicely and talk about hard luck. We have been cheated unfairly today, we have suffered injustice." When they were leading 1-0, Egypt had a goal by Mostafa Zico ruled out after VAR spotted a foul on Lisandro Martinez much earlier in the play.Zico then put Egypt on the brink of a place in the last eight for the first time by doubling their lead in the 67th minute. News that makes senseYour trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.Argentina hit back with a goal by Cristian Romero in the 79th minute, followed by an equaliser by Lionel Messi, who had a first-half penalty saved. It was Messi's eighth goal of the tournament, and he now leads the Golden Boot ladder. But the controversy did not end there, with Egypt believing they should have been awarded a penalty for a pull by Alexis Mac Allister on Hamdy Fathy in the build-up to Argentina's winner, scored by Enzo Fernández. "We haven't seen respect or fair play. There has not been respect or fair play," Hassan said."A penalty was ruled out, was not even checked by VAR. A second goal was remarkably disallowed. There has not even been a VAR check when we have all seen the image of the [shirt] being pulled back."Hassan said he would not watch any more matches of the tournament. "I am not going to continue following the matches of this World Cup, watching the matches of this World Cup," he said."This is my own way of speaking up."'They wanted Messi'After Yasser Ibrahim's header put Egypt in front, Argentina were awarded a penalty for a trip on Nicolas Tagliafico.Messi's problems with World Cup penalties continued as his effort was saved by Mostafa Shobeir.The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner has now failed to score four of his eight non-shootout spot-kicks at the World Cup, including two misses at this tournament.Hassan speculated that the officials had been put under pressure to keep one of the biggest names in the competition."Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champions in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running," he told BeIn Sports."In football, there are sometimes external factors that go beyond the technical aspects. The world champions received support at every level."Hassan also complained about the scheduling of the match for a midday kick-off (2am AEST), just four days after both sides had won their Round of 32 matches."Whoever schedules those matches has never played football. You never schedule a game for 12pm. At noon you go for a walk or to eat brunch, you do not go to play football."When are the players supposed to eat? At 7.30am?"There have been a lot of things to be questioned on and off the pitch."The controversy comes a day after USA forward Folarin Balogun was cleared to play in his side's 1-4 loss to Belgium, after his one-game ban was suspended for a year following an intervention by US President Donald Trump. — With additional reporting by Agence France-PresseYou can watch all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ live, free and exclusive on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand.For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.