The Egyptian national team snatched the qualification ticket to the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, following a valuable victory over the Australian national team, in a penalty shootout, after a historic night experienced by the Pharaohs on American soil.
The match ended in a 1-1 draw in regular and extra time, with the Pharaohs prevailing in the penalty shootout 4-2.
The Australian team almost surprised the Pharaohs at the start, with a rocket shot from Cristian Volpato in the fifth minute, but his ball hit the crossbar.
The response from the Egyptian team was swift, scoring the opening goal in the 13th minute, after a precise cross from Karim Hafez, followed by Imam Ashour with a powerful header that found the net.
The Australian team tried to come back in the score, while the Egyptian team preferred to secure their defense in the first half, and Aziz Behich threatened the Pharaohs' goal with a powerful shot that goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir caught in the 35th minute.
At the start of the second half, Omar Marmoush missed a chance to widen the gap, after receiving a pass from Mostafa Ziko, going one-on-one with the Australian goalkeeper but strangely shooting the ball wide of the post.
The Australian team equalized in the 55th minute from a set piece, executed and followed by Mohamed Hani with a header that mistakenly went into Mostafa Shobeir's net.
Hossam Hassan made three substitutions in the second half, with Hossam Abdelmaguid and Haitham Hassan replacing Mostafa Ziko and Hamdi Fathi, then Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet came in for Karim Hafez after his injury.
Ramy Rabia almost snatched a killer goal for the Egyptian team in injury time, after a precise cross from Mohamed Salah, followed by the Pharaohs' defender with a powerful header, but the Australian goalkeeper barely saved it for a corner kick.
The extra time saw significant control from the Pharaohs, with threats and danger from Mohamed Salah and Haitham Hassan, but luck was not on the Pharaohs' side in finding the net.
The Egyptian team succeeded in securing the qualification ticket to the round of 16, after Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia, Mohamed Salah, and Hossam Abdelmaguid successfully scored their penalties, while the Australian players missed two, allowing the Pharaohs to prevail 4-2.
The Egyptian team set a date with the winner of the Argentina and Cape Verde match in the round of 16 of the World Cup.
