Egypt Reach the Last 16 for First Time With Penalty Win

Dallas — History in Dallas. For the first time ever, the Egyptian national team played a knockout match at a World Cup, won it, and advanced to the round of 16.

The Pharaohs' last-32 clash with Australia delivered enormous drama. The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes and remained level after extra time, decided only by a penalty shootout.

Australia started brightly, throwing wave after wave of attack at goalkeeper Mohamed Shobeir. But it was Egypt who struck first.

In the 13th minute, Emam Ashour received the ball on the edge of the box and, just as he had done against Belgium, picked his corner and fired home. 1-0. His second goal of the tournament — and entirely against the run of play in those opening minutes.

Egypt held their lead throughout the first half. Conspicuously quiet and barely involved was captain and undisputed star Mohamed Salah — for whom this match represented a genuine opportunity to reshape his national team legacy, after years of painful near-misses with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Ten minutes into the second half, Australia launched a ball into the box and Mohamed Hany nodded it into his own net — making history of the bleakest kind: the first player ever to score two own goals at a single World Cup, having already put one past himself against Belgium. 1-1, and from that moment the match became a tense, attritional affair of half-chances and half-attacks, in which concentration and composure would prove decisive.

As the 90 minutes drew to a close, Salah grew into the game, finding teammates in promising positions and threatening himself on a couple of occasions. But Australian goalkeeper Patrick Beitz was in outstanding form, producing a string of critical saves that carried into extra time.

When it became clear the match would not be settled in open play, Australian coach Popovic made what can only be called a "Van Gaal 2014" substitution — replacing his starting goalkeeper with his backup specifically for the penalty shootout, mirroring the famous moment when the Dutch manager brought on Tim Krul for Jasper Cillessen against Costa Rica at that tournament.

The man replacing Beitz was Mat Ryan — for years Australia's undisputed first choice. At the 2022 World Cup qualifying play-off against Peru, Ryan himself had been substituted by Andrew Redmayne, whose eccentric dancing on the line helped save the crucial penalty that sent Australia to that tournament, where they famously reached the last 16 before facing a peak Lionel Messi. In this moment, Ryan was expected to produce something similar.

The shootout began with a glaring miss from Australian captain Harry Souttar, who ballooned his kick into the sky.

But Ryan, whose penalty saves had previously delivered Australia the 2015 Asian Cup and a World Cup play-off win over Syria, simply could not stop the Egyptians, who were precise and composed throughout.

First up was Mahmoud Saber, who had been introduced as a substitute in the 120th minute precisely for this purpose.

Salah stepped up third and, with ice in his veins, delivered a Panenka — a delicate chip straight down the middle that humiliated the goalkeeper, sent the crowd behind the goal into delirium, and kept Egypt's momentum firmly intact.

Australia's fourth taker, Luke Irvine, missed. And then Hossam Abd El-Magd scored the decisive penalty, setting off wild celebrations on the pitch and in the stands. 4-2 to the Pharaohs in the shootout — history for the land of the Nile, and Egypt became the second African side to secure their place in the round of 16.

These were deeply emotional moments for the entire Egyptian nation. Salah broke down in tears on the pitch while teammates embraced him. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan — still the all-time leading scorer in Egyptian football history with 69 international goals — celebrated with team director Ahmed Hassan, the record appearance holder with 184 caps, waving an Egyptian flag. He then produced a Palestinian flag and, in his post-match interview, dedicated the victory to the Palestinian people.

But the centre of attention was, inevitably, Salah. "The answer is simple — I can't decide who the greatest Egyptian of all time is," Salah laughed, slightly flustered, in response to a question from this correspondent about the long-running debate over his status relative to Mohamed Abu Trika. Abu Trika — who led Egypt to three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles — is considered a legend far beyond football, known for his outspoken criticism of the Egyptian authorities and Israel, and his close identification with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Salah was careful not to wade into that comparison directly, but he did speak to what this achievement means for an entire generation of Egyptian footballers. "What we did today will not be forgotten — I'm sure of that. For me personally, it means everything. Our generation has suffered from bad luck. We lost two African finals, we were knocked out in two semi-finals, we didn't qualify for the 2022 World Cup. So yes — we did something that everyone is talking about, and we are very proud, because this may be the greatest achievement in the history of this generation. I hope something even greater is still to come."

The match against Australia is one that reshapes Salah's national team legacy. It closes the chapter on the long-standing comparison between him and Abu Trika — a debate that for years resembled the Messi versus Maradona argument in Egyptian terms. Now, whatever happens in the round of 16, Egypt will forever remember Mohamed Salah as the man who took this nation further than it has ever gone in the most popular sport on the banks of the Nile.

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