Egypt finally taste World Cup victory

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal as Egypt came from behind to beat New Zealand 3–1 on Monday morning in Vancouver, securing a landmark FIFA World Cup win. The result puts Hossam Hassan’s side top of Group G with one match remaining, after both teams began their 2026 campaigns with draws, while Belgium and Iran also shared the points earlier in the day.

The Pharaohs completed the turnaround through goals from Mostafa Ziko, Mohamed Salah, and Trezeguet, claiming their first World Cup win since their debut in 1934 — a gap of 92 years.

New Zealand had taken the lead in the 15th minute when Finn Surman rose to meet a corner and powered a header past the goalkeeper, giving the All Whites a deserved advantage. Sarpreet Singh and Elijah Just had earlier tested the Egyptian defence as New Zealand applied early pressure.

The North Africans gradually grew into the contest, with Salah and Emam Ashour both going close before half-time, while Salah was denied again within seconds of the restart by Max Crocombe. At the other end, Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir produced a fine save to deny Callum McCowatt’s flicked header, as New Zealand continued to threaten.

The momentum shifted in the 58th minute when Ziko guided home a free header to level the match. Nine minutes later, Salah delivered the decisive moment, finishing a flowing move with a crisp low strike to put Egypt in front, before Trezeguet added a third with eight minutes remaining to seal the comeback.

Salah was named Man of the Match and, speaking afterwards, the former Liverpool forward said:

“It’s incredible. I don’t know how to express it in words. It’s a great achievement for all the players, for the staff, so hopefully we can carry on like this in the group and we can write history and qualify — and in years to come it will be remembered as one of the best achievements in the history of Egyptian football. We have to enjoy today, enjoy tomorrow, then focus on the next game.”

New Zealand coach Darren Bazeley reflected on a game of two halves, saying:

“It’s disappointing. We were so good in the first half. We dominated possession and created a lot of chances. We came out in the second half and I thought we were okay, but we didn’t quite get to the pace of the game. Egypt upped the tempo and we couldn’t replicate what we were doing so well in the first half. Ultimately, that hurt us. We’re still one game away from making history. We know we have to beat Belgium now.”

Egypt will aim to secure their place in the knockout stage against Iran in Seattle on Saturday (6am Bahrain time), while New Zealand stay in Vancouver to take on Belgium simultaneously.