Portugal players Pepe and Bruno Fernandes lashed out at the Argentine referee in charge of their 1-0 World Cup quarter-final defeat by Morocco on Saturday, claiming his nationality impacted the game.

Argentina progressed to the last four on Friday by beating the Netherlands and should they reach the final, might play against Morocco if they win their semi-final against England or France.

The match referee Facundo Tello, his two assistants and the video assistant referee were all from Argentina.

"It's unacceptable for an Argentine referee to referee our game," Pepe said on Portuguese television.

"After what happened yesterday, with (Lionel) Messi talking, all of Argentina talking, and the referee comes here.

"What did we play in the second half? The goalkeeper dropped to the ground. There were only eight minutes of stoppage time. We worked hard and the referee (only added on) eight minutes."

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