Mohamed Salah and Egypt were knocked out of World Cup against Alexis Mac Allister and Argentina, with Liverpool fans disappointed to see the former eliminated
08:04, 08 Jul 2026
Mohamed Salah speaks to the referee during the World Cup match between Argentina and Egypt.
Mohamed Salah speaks to the referee during the World Cup match between Argentina and Egypt.(Image: Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister is into the World Cup quarter-finals with Argentina - but he had to knock out ex-teammate Mohamed Salah and Egypt in the process.
Lionel Messi missed a penalty and it looked like things were going wrong for the holders, before Argentina produced a late comeback from two goals down to win 3-2. Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez scored the winner to complete the turnaround.
As Liverpool posted a message of congratulations to Mac Allister for his progression, plenty of Reds fans in the comments made it clear they wanted Salah to win. There was some controversial refereeing and VAR calls too, which left Egypt aggrieved.
In an interview with one of the tournament’s broadcasters (via BBC Sport), Egypt star Ziko said: "The referee was really not fair. Not fair. The referee was not fair. The injustice was clear. We did a good job in the early stages of the match.
“There’s been an unfairness right from the start of the match. A 2-0 lead isn’t enough to beat Argentina. It’s clear that this tournament has been fixed. But God is sufficient for us."
Egypt manager Hossam Hassan added that his team had been "treated unfairly" and "suffered injustice".
Alexis Mac Allister (L) of Argentina in action against Mohamed Salah (10) of Egypt during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta Stadium) in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on July 07, 2026
Alexis Mac Allister (L) and Mohamed Salah were at the center of what was an emotional battle between their two sides(Image: Photo by Evrim Aydin/Anadolu via Getty Images)
He went on to claim that the result had been influenced by "internal" and "external" factors, and that Egypt had objected to the selection of Francois Letexier as the referee before kick-off.
"Why isn't there any fairness in sport? In football?" Hassan asked.
"I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording. We have been treated unfairly today. We have suffered injustice."
He went on to add that he would not watch any of the rest of the World Cup in a kind of protest, adding: "It is my own way of speaking up and standing up. I am not going to watch a single match of this tournament."
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Salah did well at the World Cup generally, with Egypt going further than it ever has before. Now that his time in the US is over, the 33-year-old is expected to make clear where his future lies.
Several clubs have been touted as potential next destinations, with Fenerbahce perhaps the strongest link. Saudi Pro League and MLS sides are keen on his services too.
Liverpool.com says: Egypt was unfortunate but the refereeing calls were nowhere near as controversial as what they are trying to make out. They did well, but lost to a better team with the best player of all time.