Egypt coach Hossam Hassan accused match officials of denying his side a place in the World Cup quarter-finals after Argentina came from two goals down to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory on Tuesday.
Speaking after the last-16 defeat, Hassan claimed Egypt had been treated unfairly by key refereeing decisions and said his team had been "cheated" during the match.
Egypt thought they had extended their lead in the first half when Mostafa Zico found the net, but the goal was ruled out after VAR detected a foul on Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez earlier in the move.
Zico later scored again to put the Pharaohs 2-0 ahead and seemingly on course for a historic quarter-final berth.
Argentina, however, mounted a remarkable comeback. Cristian Romero pulled one goal back before Lionel Messi equalised after earlier having a penalty saved. Enzo Fernandez then scored the winner late in the match.
Hassan also questioned a second controversial moment, claiming Egypt should have been awarded a penalty after Hamdy Fathy`s shirt was allegedly pulled by Alexis Mac Allister in the build-up to Argentina`s decisive goal.
"We haven`t seen respect or fair play," Hassan told reporters. "A penalty wasn`t given, and there wasn`t even a VAR review."
The Egypt coach suggested that officials had come under pressure to keep the defending champions in the tournament, saying it was possible "they wanted Messi to stay in the competition."
Hassan also criticised the scheduling of the match, arguing that a noon kick-off just four days after the previous round placed an unnecessary burden on players.
The defeat ended Egypt`s World Cup campaign, while Argentina advanced to the quarter-finals.
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