Mohamed Salah led Egypt to their first-ever World Cup victory, inspiring a 3-1 comeback against New Zealand with a brilliant second-half performance. The win moves Egypt to the top of Group G and significantly boosts their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Pre-match favorites Egypt, spearheaded by Salah and Omar Marmoush, were backed by a vocal crowd at BC Place. However, slack defending cost them early. In the 15th minute, New Zealand defender Finn Surman lost his marker, Ahmed Fatouh, to power home a header from Tim Payne’s corner.
New Zealand’s game plan was simple but effective. They kicked long when necessary, held possession when possible, and nearly doubled their lead when Callum McCowatt had a glancing header tipped over the bar. The All Whites took a 1-0 lead into the break.
In the second half, a rejuvenated Egypt piled on the pressure. They leveled the match in the 58th minute when Mostafa Ziko headed in Mohamed Hany’s cross from the right.
Nine minutes later, the 34-year-old Salah gave the crowd what they wanted. Breaking forward down the right, he played a quick one-two with Ziko before slotting the ball into the far corner to give Egypt the lead.
Salah nearly scored again in the 81st minute with a deflected shot, but he notched an assist from the resulting corner. Substitute Trézéguet met Salah's cross with a diving header at the near post to seal the 3-1 victory.
New Zealand pushed hard to reduce the deficit in the closing minutes. The physical toll was evident late in the game when Egypt's Hossam Abdelmaguid left the field with a suspected concussion and a swollen eye.
After 10 minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle triggered an ear-splitting roar from the Egyptian fans. Coach Hossam Hassan celebrated by lapping the stadium with the national flag.
"It’s a great achievement for all the players. It’s a great win and a great vibe. The next game is very important," Salah said as he celebrated with his teammates.
With the win, Egypt sits at the top of Group G with four points, following a 1-1 draw with Belgium in their opener. New Zealand is bottom with one point, while Belgium and Iran played to a 0-0 draw earlier on Sunday.
