Egypt forward Mostafa Zico blamed the referee for his side's 3-2 defeat by Argentina on Tuesday, saying the officiating was "Not fair" after the Pharaohs were eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in the last 16.

"Not fair, not fair. The referee [François Letexier] was the reason for the defeat," Zico told a television programme after the match.

Egypt's World Cup campaign ended in heartbreaking fashion at Atlanta Stadium as they squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to the defending champions.

The Pharaohs led 2-0 until the 80th minute before Argentina struck three times in the closing stages to complete a dramatic comeback and book their place in the quarter-finals.

"The referee's decisions were against us. I want to congratulate Argentina as they are going to win the World Cup," Zico said.

"We apologise to the Egyptian people because we had hoped to make them happy."

Egypt reached the last 16 after defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Argentina advanced to the knockout stage with a 3-2 extra-time victory over Cape Verde.

The Pharaohs opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Belgium before beating New Zealand 3-1. They finished second in Group G after drawing 1-1 with Iran.

Check the World Cup matches and standings
Check the World Cup Stats

(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)