Egypt's midfielder #11 Mostafa Ziko is the picture of heartbreak after they were almost unbelievably knocked out of the Fifa World Cup. Leading 2-0, Argentina won the match 3-2 in the last 10 minutes, but was it fair?
Garry Kasparov
I love the World Cup. My earliest childhood memory isn’t of a chessboard but of watching the thrilling 1970 quarterfinal match between England and West Germany. Gerd Müller’s close-range volley in extra time completed a comeback, going from 0-2 down to a 3-2 victory.
Last Tuesday, there was another incredible World Cup comeback from 0-2 to 3-2 in extra time. But those who look back 50 years from now are as likely to recall refereeing controversies and mysterious video replay analyses as they are the brilliance of Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah, the courage of underdog Egypt and the spectacular winning Argentine goal.
Or they may remember it was the same week that President Donald Trump personally intervened with FIFA, the World Cup’s organizer, to get a red card on an American player reversed, allowing him to play in the round of 16 match against Belgium. The 4-1 humiliation for the United States in that game felt almost justified after such a blatant act of behind-the-scenes manipulation.
