Egypt advances to World Cup Round of 16 after penalty thriller against Australia

Emam Ashour gave the seven-time Africa Cup of Nations winner an early lead. The attacking player headed from short range after the Australian defense had given him too much space following a cross. It was Ashour's second tournament goal at this finals. Egypt had had to worry before the match whether superstar Mohamed Salah would be fit in time – the captain had picked up a thigh strain in the group match against Iran (1:1) and had been substituted off.

Salah leads Egypt

Despite the injury, Salah started the match and played the full 120 minutes. During pre-match coverage it had already been certain that the Liverpool professional could play. After the match, the 34-year-old found emotional words: "Es ist Geschichte, ich habe den Spielern gesagt, es ist das größte Spiel für euch, lasst aber den Druck nicht zu groß werden und lebt im Moment."

Australia's coach Tony Popovic substituted world-class goalkeeper Patrick Beach for the experienced Mathew Ryan in the 119th minute – a risky tactic ahead of the impending penalty shootout. Beach had kept Egypt at bay with a brilliant save in stoppage time of extra time when he acrobatically tipped a powerful header from Rabia over the crossbar with his left hand (90.+3). In the penalty shootout, however, Ryan was unable to save any of the four Egyptian attempts.

For Australia, the dream of a first win in a World Cup knockout round ended. The "Socceroos" had previously lost every knockout match at a World Cup – in 2006 against Italy and in 2022 against Argentina – to the eventual world champions. In Dallas, they now had to surrender despite having found their way back into the game through Hany's unfortunate own goal.

Hany as tragic hero

Mohamed Hany was the tragic hero of the evening in the end. The Egyptian defender headed a free-kick cross from Aiden O'Neill, which had originally been intended for the 1.98-meter-tall Harry Souttar, into his own net for the 1:1 equalizer. It was already Hany's second own goal at this World Cup finals, with which he set a historic negative record. Two own goals at a World Cup had not been scored by any player before.

What proved fatal for the Australians was that Souttar went off injured in the 81st minute and required lengthy medical treatment – Popovic was only able to make a substitution in stoppage time of extra time and sent Beach off in the 119th minute. The Australians' confidence also visibly suffered in the minutes that followed.

The closing stages of regular time belonged to the Egyptians: Rabia headed somewhat dangerously in stoppage time (90.+3), Omar Marmoush had missed a huge chance for 2:0 directly after the restart when he hit the right post just seconds after kickoff (46.). The skillful dribbler Haissim Hassan also repeatedly caused trouble on the right side, but the North Africans were unable to find the back of the net again.

Historical significance

In the penalty shootout, the "Pharaohs" showed composure. Hossam Abdelmaguid converted the decisive fourth penalty, sealing the historic victory. Egypt, which had previously played only one knockout match at a World Cup finals – in 1934 the team lost 2:4 to Hungary in the Round of 16 – is thus back in the last 16 for the first time in 92 years.

With the victory, Egypt now faces the Round of 16 match against the winner of the Argentina vs. Cape Verde game, which takes place in the night leading into Saturday (July 5, 2026, midnight CEST). Kickoff in the Round of 16 is on Tuesday at 6 p.m. (5 p.m. CET) in Atlanta, with the match broadcast live on ORF1. Coach Hossam Hassan, Egypt's all-time leading scorer (69 goals) and seven-time Africa Cup of Nations winner as a player, has thus set another milestone in Egyptian football history as national team coach.

For the Australians, there remains the consolation that they narrowly missed out on the leap into the Round of 16. Even before the game, Popovic had decided on the substitution of Beach for the penalty shootout – a measure that bore no fruit. The 18-year-old Herrington, who was already in the starting lineup, hit the crossbar with his penalty, while Souttar aimed over the goal.

Outlook on the Round of 16

Salah had announced shortly before the game: "Ich habe mich im letzten Moment dafür entschieden, auch weil es meine letzte WM ist." With the victory against Australia, the Egyptian captain now at least has the chance to crown his World Cup career with another highlight. The "Pharaohs" are facing a historic week.

The match was officiated by Uruguayan referee Tejera. The card statistics show a fair match with no yellow cards for Egypt in regular play. Australia received cautions as the game progressed but stayed within bounds.

With the Round of 16 qualification, Egypt is also responding to the relief back home: "Es ist das Größte, was ich je erlebt habe," Salah said after the final whistle. For coach Hossam Hassan, who took over the team in 2018, it is the greatest success at a World Cup so far.

Referee and statistics

Australia, on the other hand, departs with the realization that the world No. 27 was able to keep pace at times with the 29th-ranked team in the world, but lost its nerve in the penalty shootout. The "Socceroos" had put in a strong showing for their first success in the knockout phase of a World Cup, but ultimately fell short due to their own error rate in the decisive moments.

Already in the 4th minute, Australia had its first big chance through Volpato; afterwards, the Egyptians controlled the game. With the lead, Egypt sat back slightly and conceded more possession to Australia, but remained dangerous on counterattacks. Thus, an intense but fair match developed, which was ultimately decided by precision in the penalty shootout.