For the first time in its long World Cup history, Egypt has won a knockout match — and it took the coolest of nerves from its captain to get there.
A first for the Pharaohs
Egypt beat Australia 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Dallas, advancing from the round of 32 into the last 16, Al Jazeera reported. Egypt had reached the World Cup before but never won once the tournament turned to elimination games; this was the breakthrough.
Egypt led early through a first-half header before Australia drew level in the second half, the equalizer coming off an unlucky Egyptian own goal. Neither side could separate the other across the rest of regulation and extra time, and the match went to penalties.
The chip that settled it
From the spot, Egypt were perfect, converting all four of their kicks. The signature moment belonged to Mohamed Salah, the Liverpool star and Egypt captain, who dinked his penalty down the middle with a Panenka — the audacious slow chip that only the most self-assured players attempt on a stage this big, France 24 reported. Australia, by contrast, missed twice, and the Socceroos' late goalkeeping switch aimed at the shootout could not save them.
Salah could get Messi next
Egypt's reward may be the tie of the round. Its round-of-16 opponent is expected to be defending champion Argentina — and Lionel Messi — with the match anticipated in Atlanta. That pairing is not yet locked in; it depends on Argentina getting past tournament debutant Cape Verde first. If the holders come through as expected, it would set up a rare meeting of two of the game's biggest names, Salah and Messi, with a World Cup quarterfinal on the line. For Egypt, simply being in that conversation is the point: after decades of near-misses, the Pharaohs have finally won when it counted.
