Washington, USA – The refereeing team cancelled the second goal for the Iranian national team, scored by defender Shoja Khalilzadeh during the second half of the match between Egypt and Iran in the third and final round of Group G in the 2026 World Cup. This came after a review of the situation by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.
Khalilzadeh had successfully put the ball into the Egyptian net after a well-organized Iranian attack. However, the video assistant referee (VAR) intervened to review the footage and confirmed a possible offside at the start of the attack.
After reviewing the play, Polish referee Szymon Marciniak disallowed the goal for offside. The score was thus returned to 1-1, amidst protests from the Iranian players. The match also saw great jubilation among the Egyptian team and their fans.
Egypt took an early lead through Mahmoud Saber in the fifth minute, but Ramin Rezaeian equalized for Iran in the 14th minute. The first half ended in a 1-1 draw.
The decision to disallow the goal reignited the excitement of the match, making the remaining minutes crucial in the battle for qualification to the next round. Meanwhile, VAR continued to play a decisive role in influential refereeing decisions throughout the game.
The decision was one of the most significant refereeing moments of the match, as it directly contributed to changing the course of the game and preserving the Egyptian national team’s chances of qualifying.
