Egypt achieved its first ever victory in a World Cup finals after a strong second-half comeback to defeat New Zealand 3-1 in Vancouver.
The Pharaohs, who were winless in their previous World Cup appearances, recovered from a goal down at BC Place thanks to goals from Mostafa Zico, Mohamed Salah and substitute Mahmoud Trezeguet.
With this result, the Egyptian national team leads Group Seven with four points from two matches after drawing with Belgium 1-1 in the opening round. Egypt will now meet Iran in its final match in the group stage, after Iran tied 0-0 with Belgium earlier.
New Zealand entered the match after drawing 2-2 with Iran, while Egypt was seeking to build on the encouraging performance against Belgium. The two teams knew that victory would put them in a strong position before the final round of group matches.
The All Whites got off to a strong start and threatened early through Elia Gast, whose shot from close range was blocked by Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shabeer.
New Zealand took the lead in the 15th minute. A corner kick caused problems inside Egypt’s penalty area, as defender Finn Surman was left unmarked to head home from close range.
Egypt struggled to find their rhythm in the early stages but gradually improved in the game. Omar Marmoush came close to equalizing midway through the first half, while Salah fired a free kick wide of the goal before Imam Ashour missed a late chance from close range.
Hossam Hassan’s team was also forced to make an early change when Hamdi Fathi was unable to continue after suffering an injury, and Rami Rabia was replaced.
Egypt returned from the break with more urgency and control, restricting New Zealand for long periods. Speer made another save early in the second half from Callum McQuait, before Egyptian pressure eventually led to a breakthrough.
Just before the hour mark, Mohamed Hani crossed for the first time from the right flank and Zico rose unmarked to head powerfully past goalkeeper Max Crocombe, equalizing for Egypt.
The equalizer changed the game. Egypt continued to press forward, moving the ball more quickly and creating more space around New Zealand’s back line.
Salah put Egypt ahead after eight minutes. After carrying the ball forward and coordinating with precision on the edge of the penalty area, the Liverpool striker calmly slotted the ball past Crocombe to make it 2-1.
With New Zealand struggling to regain control, Hassan made two substitutions in the 76th minute, introducing Trezeguet and Hamza Abdel Karim instead of Marmoush and Zico.
The move paid off almost immediately.
In the 82nd minute, Salah sent a corner kick into the area and Trezeguet rose high to score the third goal for Egypt, achieving a historic victory for the Pharaohs.
The result leaves Egypt in a strong position before its final confrontation in Group G with Iran. Egypt has four points, while Iran and Belgium have two points each after drawing 0-0, and New Zealand remains at one point.
However, for Egypt, Vancouver’s night will be remembered above all because it ended a long wait: their first World Cup finals win, achieved through a brilliant second-half display.