Egypt booked their place in the World Cup last 16 for the first time after defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw, setting up a clash with either Argentina or Cape Verde.
Mohamed Salah confidently converted a Panenka in the shootout before defender Hossam Abdelmaguid sealed the victory with the decisive penalty. Australia missed two of their four spot-kicks as Harry Souttar blasted over the bar and 18-year-old Lucas Herrington struck the crossbar.
The Pharaohs made a dream start in Dallas, taking the lead after 13 minutes in their first World Cup knockout appearance since 1934. Emam Ashour rose unmarked to head home Karim Hafez’s cross, scoring his second goal of the tournament and helping Egypt surpass their total goals from their previous three World Cup appearances combined.
Australia nearly opened the scoring earlier when Cristian Volpato’s long-range strike clipped the top of the crossbar. The Socceroos pushed for an equaliser before halftime, with Aziz Behich missing their best chance after failing to beat goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir from close range.
Egypt almost doubled their advantage seconds into the second half, but Omar Marmoush dragged his effort wide when through on goal. Australia capitalised on that miss in the 55th minute as Mohamed Hany inadvertently turned Aiden O’Neill’s free-kick into his own net, becoming only the second player in World Cup history to score two own goals at a single tournament. The goal also marked the 13th own goal of the competition, setting a new tournament record.
Australia survived a late scare in stoppage time when goalkeeper Patrick Beach produced a stunning save to deny Ramy Rabia’s powerful header from Salah’s cross, forcing the contest into extra time.
With neither side able to find a winner, Australia introduced veteran goalkeeper Mat Ryan specifically for the penalty shootout. However, the move failed to pay off as Egypt converted all four of their penalties through Mahmoud Saber, Rabia, Salah and Abdelmaguid. Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil scored for Australia, but misses from Souttar and Herrington handed Egypt a historic victory and a place in the last 16.
