Mohamed Salah has broken his social media silence after Egypt's controversial World Cup exit to Argentina, promising he will do "everything in his power" to make the Pharaohs a mainstay on the biggest stage.
Historic run ends in heartbreak
The World Cup was historic for the Egyptians as they won their first-ever game before reaching the last-16 by beating Australia on penalties after advancing from the group stages. However, they were beaten 3-2 by world champions Argentina in Atlanta on Tuesday after leading 2-0 with just 11 minutes to play.
Goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico had Salah and his colleagues on the cusp of a famous victory before Cristian Romero and Lionel Messi leveled the score late on. Enzo Fernandez then headed in a stoppage-time winner, but the controversy stemmed from a disallowed goal for Egypt that would have made it 2-0 at the time.
Controversial officiating
A VAR check deemed a foul on Lisandro Martinez moments before a stunning counter-attack looked to have given the African nation a two-goal advantage. Salah also felt he was denied a penalty in stoppage time, and Egypt's fury at the officiating has since been made public, with head coach Hossam Hassan leading the anger post-match.
Speaking after the match, Hossam said: "There have been a lot of things to be questioned on and off the pitch. Negative aspects all around. It's just about credibility, lack of credibility with how things unfolded. Perhaps they wanted to keep the world champion in the competition. Perhaps they wanted Messi to stay in the running. The world champions received support at every level. There seem to be pressures from the Argentina side on this outcome."
Salah's promise to fans
The Egypt squad received an open-top bus tour for their efforts after landing back home on Friday, and Salah has now shared his thoughts after elimination from the World Cup. The now former Liverpool superstar posted: "I know you're (Egypt fans) still upset, but I promise you that I'll do everything in my power to ensure this marks a fresh start for Egyptian football on the international stage. Qualifying for the World Cup won't be enough, and just participating won't cut it either. This team deserves your trust."
