Mohamed Salah, the 34-year-old captain of Egypt, shared his thoughts following the team’s heartbreaking 3-2 defeat against Argentina in the World Cup knockout stage.
The Egyptian team led the match 2-0 until the 79th minute, but the reigning champions mounted an incredible comeback to secure their spot in the quarter-finals.
After the match, Salah refrained from directly criticizing the officiating led by François Letexier but hinted at his dissatisfaction with some decisions.
Mohamed Salah on Argentina vs. Egypt 3-2: “Everyone saw what happened”
The star of the Egyptian team stated that they performed well and believed that certain refereeing decisions impacted the game’s outcome. Unlike his teammates and coach Hossam Hassan, he was less vocal about his grievances.
“First of all, it was God’s will. That was the fate of this match. We played excellently in the first half and looked strong in the second half. We made a few minor mistakes, and regarding the refereeing, I’d prefer not to comment. Everyone saw what happened. I have nothing to add,” Salah remarked.
The Egyptian captain then referenced controversial moments in the second half, including a goal disallowed after a VAR review in the 58th minute and a penalty that the Egyptian side believed they should have received in stoppage time, just before Enzo Fernandez’s decisive goal.
“We had a goal canceled, and we also weren’t awarded a penalty. Immediately afterward, the opponent counterattacked and scored. Our coach congratulated us on our performance in the tournament and expressed a desire for us to progress further.
We will build our future on what we achieved in this tournament, and if God wills it, even more success awaits us,” Salah added.
Salah highlighted Egypt’s performance against the reigning world champions, stating that his team played at a very high level. “We played against the current world champions and understood that we were facing a very tough match. We prepared excellently for this opponent, and that was evident from the first minutes of the encounter,” he concluded.
