Egypt captain Mohamed Salah expressed frustration with the officiating following his side’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup Round of 16, saying the referee’s decisions had a major influence on the outcome.

Salah nonetheless acknowledged his teammates’ efforts, saying Egypt fought with pride, but he believes questions over the officiating will persist after their exit from the tournament.

“First of all, congratulations to Argentina because they are a great team. But if I’m honest, I don't think the match was decided only by football.

“The referee's decisions had a huge influence on the game. We fought for every goal we scored, we defended with everything we had, and then some of the biggest moments seemed to go against us.

“When players feel they are no longer competing against only the opposition but also against the decisions, it becomes incredibly frustrating,” he opined.

Salah said the hardest part was knowing how much the team had sacrificed to reach the Round of 16.

He noted that the players represented their country with pride and believed until the final whistle.

However, he added that the players did not deserve to leave the tournament with so many questions about the officiating.

“Football should always be decided by the players. Tonight, many Egyptians will go home feeling that the conversation will not only be about Argentina's comeback, but also about the decisions that changed the direction of the match.

“That is a painful feeling for every player who gave everything on the pitch,” Mohammed Salah expressed.