Dallas, USA: Egypt created history on Friday by reaching the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 for the first time after defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a hard-fought 1-1 draw after extra time.
The dramatic victory also secured the Pharaohs’ first-ever knockout-stage win at the FIFA World Cup and kept alive their dream of lifting the trophy in North America.
After 120 minutes failed to separate the two sides, Egypt held their nerve in the shootout, with Hossam Abdelmaguid converting the decisive penalty after Australia missed two of their spot-kicks.
Captain Mohamed Salah, returning from a hamstring injury, confidently chipped home a Panenka penalty before Abdelmaguid sealed the historic victory that left the Liverpool forward in tears of joy.
Egypt made a bright start and took the lead in the 13th minute when Emam Ashour rose highest to head home Karim Hafez’s cross for his second goal of the tournament.
Australia struggled to create clear opportunities in the opening half but found an equaliser 10 minutes after the restart through an unfortunate own goal by Mohamed Hany, who became the first player to score two own goals in a single FIFA World Cup tournament.
Both sides searched for a winner during the remainder of normal time and extra time, but neither could find the decisive breakthrough as the contest headed to penalties.
Australia’s gamble of introducing experienced goalkeeper Mathew Ryan specifically for the shootout failed to pay off.
Defender Harry Souttar blazed Australia’s opening penalty over the crossbar before 18-year-old Lucas Herrington struck the bar later in the shootout, handing Egypt the advantage.
Salah calmly converted his penalty with a trademark Panenka before Abdelmaguid stepped up to score the winning kick, sparking wild celebrations among the Egyptian players and supporters.
The victory marks another milestone for Egypt after registering their first World Cup group-stage win earlier in the tournament against New Zealand.
Despite battling through the match while recovering from injury, Salah delivered when it mattered most as Egypt rewrote their football history.
The Pharaohs will now face the winners of the Round of 32 clash between Argentina and Cape Verde in the Round of 16.
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