Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said on Tuesday he was proud of his players despite their heartbreaking exit from the World Cup, insisting the team's run to the last 16 had laid the foundations for a bright future for Egyptian football.

Egypt's campaign ended in dramatic fashion as they surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to defending champions Argentina at Atlanta Stadium, with Enzo Fernandez scoring the winner in stoppage time after Lionel Messi had inspired a late comeback.

"I am very happy with my team's performance at the World Cup," Hassan told reporters after the match.

"We have a good team that honored African and Arab football.

"We don't fear any team. We will build on what we achieved at this World Cup because we have many goals for the future.

"Our ambition is to compete on equal terms with any team in the world."

Hassan praised his players, many of whom play in the Egyptian domestic league, for proving they could compete with football's elite.

"I thank my players for their performance and I am very satisfied with them. The majority of my players compete in the domestic league, and they proved they can challenge players who perform in the biggest leagues in the world.

"We will earn our place among the world's top football nations."

The 59-year-old, however, criticized the match officials following Egypt's defeat, claiming key decisions went against his side.

Egypt had a goal ruled out after a VAR review in the 58th minute, while Hassan also believed his side should have been awarded a penalty before Fernandez scored Argentina's winner.

"We were the better team and imposed our strategy on our opponents. It wasn't fair. I don't know why our goal was disallowed," he said.

"The World Cup is all about marketing. They wanted Messi to remain in the tournament for as long as possible."

Hassan apologized to Egyptian fans for the team's elimination but said the circumstances of the defeat left him frustrated.

"I apologies to the Egyptian people. We wanted to make you happy, but it was out of our hands.

"I'm sorry. I wanted us to go as far as possible, but in the end, we all saw what happened."

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.)