Egypt beat Australia 4-2 on penalties to reach World Cup last 16
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
- Egypt beat Australia 4-2 on penalties to reach the World Cup last 16 for the first time.
- The match ended 1-1 after 120 minutes, with Hossam Abdelmaguid scoring the winning penalty.
- Egypt will face Argentina in the next round.
Egypt made history on Friday, securing a spot in the World Cup last 16 by defeating Australia 4-2 on penalties after a tense 1-1 draw. Hossam Abdelmaguid converted the decisive penalty, sending the Pharaohs through to the knockout stage for the first time in their history.
Egypt made history by beating a dogged Australia 4-2 on penalties to reach the World Cup last 16 on Friday.
The match, held in Texas, was a hard-fought affair. Despite chances for both sides, including from captain Mohamed Salah, the score remained deadlocked after 120 minutes. Australia's gamble of bringing on experienced goalkeeper Mathew Ryan for the shootout did not pay off.
A tense affair in which Egypt and their off-colour captain Mohamed Salah wasted the better chances had ended 1-1 after 120 minutes in Texas.
Australia's hopes were immediately dampened when defender Harry Souttar missed the first penalty, blasting it over the bar. While their next five players scored, including Salah's coolly taken penalty for Egypt, Australia's young defender Lucas Herrington later hit the crossbar, sealing Egypt's historic victory.
Shooting towards the Egypt fans and whistles raining down, defender Harry Souttar blazed the first penalty over to put the Socceroos on the immediate backfoot.
Egypt's reward for this landmark achievement is a daunting clash with Lionel Messi's Argentina in the next round, provided the South American giants avoid an upset against tournament debutants Cape Verde.
The Pharaohs will celebrate anyway having reached this stage of a World Cup for the first time ever.
Originally published by Gulf Today. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.