Victory in a penalty shootout

LIVE: Australia and Egypt Aim for the Round of 16

The decisive moment in the penalty shootout: Egypt advances, and the players celebrate …(Bild: AP/Tony Gutierrez)

A 92-year wait is over—for the first time since 1934 (!), Egypt’s national team has once again reached the round of 16 at a World Cup! Led by their still-superstar Mohamed Salah, the “Pharaohs” lived up to their status as slight favorites in their match against Australia’s “Socceroos” and prevailed in a penalty shootout in front of over 70,000 spectators at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Dallas. Whether this was their last victory at the World Cup remains to be seen—but their next opponent is likely to be world champion Argentina, looming on the horizon...

Speaking of Argentina: It was precisely in this arena—normally home to the iconic NFL team the Dallas Cowboys and known as “Dallas Stadium” during the World Cup—that Lionel Messi and company played two of their three group-stage matches—and (of course) won both. However, it was already clear before kickoff against Australia that Egypt wouldn’t have as easy a time winning as Argentina did against Austria (2–0) and Jordan (3–1). Just a quick glance at the FIFA World Rankings—which lists the teams at numbers 26 and 28 as de facto “neighbors” of equal quality—is enough to see that...

The Egyptian Team(Bild: AP/Tony Gutierrez)

The Australian team(Bild: AFP/ALEX SLITZ)

Five changes for Egypt, none for Australia
Speaking of quality: While coach Tony Popović saw no reason to make personnel changes to his “Socceroos’” starting lineup compared to the group stage match against Paraguay, his counterpart Hossam Hassan gave the “mixer” a good spin. He made no fewer than five changes following the Group G finale against Iran: Yasser Ibrahim, Karim Hafez, Marwan Attia, Hamdy Fathy, and Omar Marmoush came in for Mohamed Abdelmonem, Ahmed El Fotouh, Mohanad Lasheen, Mahmoud Saber, and Trezeguet in the Egyptian lineup, which lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Coincidence or not, the completely revamped “Pharaohs” took a little while to find their rhythm. Aside from the fact that both teams played rather hectically and nervously under the watchful eye of referee Gustavo Tejera—Uruguay’s last representative at the World Cup—the early stages belonged to the yellow-and-green “Socceroos.” They underscored this with chances: First, Cristian Volpato hit the crossbar with a long-range shot from 25 meters (5th minute), and shortly afterward, Jordan Bos, who had cut into the penalty area from the right, was denied at the last second by Rami Rabia as he attempted a shot (6th minute). It looked like Australia was about to take the lead…

Cristian Volpato(Bild: AP/Jessica Tobias)

A goal did come not long after—though on the other side of the field for Egypt, from what was their first real offensive move up to that point. Salah played a free kick from midfield to Emam Ashour, but his shot was blocked by Jackson Irvine—because the Australians couldn’t clear the ball completely, Ashour got a second chance following a cross from Hafez and headed it in to make it 1–0 (13th minute).

Expected goals (xG) stood at 0.40 to 0.41 at halftime
Anyone expecting furious Australian efforts to equalize or Egyptian attempts to extend the lead afterward was sorely disappointed—neither the “Socceroos” nor the “Pharaohs” found a way to tip the game in their favor. It would be an exaggeration to say we should draw a veil over the events at AT&T Stadium in Arlington/Dallas, but there were no more than (glimmers of) half-chances until halftime.

(Bild: AFP/ALEX SLITZ)

Neither Aiden O’Neill (15’/way off target) nor Lucas Herrington (23’/header wide), Aziz Behich (32’/straight at the goalie from the corner of the penalty area), nor Volpatao (45’+2, curling shot well wide), Omar Marmoush (17’, blocked), or Salah (45’+1, header) were able to create even the slightest hint of danger with their efforts. Unsurprisingly, the expected goals (xG) figures at halftime stood at 0.40 versus 0.41 …

Golden opportunity for Egypt 8.5 seconds after the restart
The second half then nearly began with a real bang: Practically from the kickoff, the Egyptians marched unchallenged across the entire Australian half, and Man City star Marmoush, sprinting into the penalty area, fired just wide to the right with only goalkeeper Patrick Beach to beat—a mere 8.5 seconds after the second half resumed. Was this a wake-up call for Coach Hassan’s men, who hadn’t really made their presence felt since scoring the opening goal? Not a bit of it!

Omar Marmoush (left)(Bild: AP/Julio Cortez)

Hany scores his second own goal of the World Cup
Australia effectively took control immediately after Marmoush’s chance; a Metcalfe header off an Irvine free kick nearly found the net (48th), and a cross to Nestory Irankunda came within a hair of scoring (53'). But two minutes later, it finally happened: On an O’Neill free kick into the penalty area, Captain Harry Souttar dove under the ball, but Egyptian defender Mohamed Hany headed it in from behind—in the style of a world-class striker—leaving his goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir with no chance to make the save, tying the score at 1–1 (55'). Curiously, it was his second own goal at this World Cup; he had already scored an own goal in the 1–1 draw against Belgium in the opener…

But with that one big chance on one end and the goal on the other, that was pretty much all Egypt and Australia had to offer their fans. As had been the case before halftime, risk-aversion and timidity took over at both ends—and the pace wasn’t kept all that high either. Although the “Pharaohs’” nominally higher individual quality was evident at times, it proved no advantage against Souttar and company, who were physically very robust—especially on set pieces.

Ajdin Hrustić (left)(Bild: AP/Sam Hodde)

A Late Resurgence of Ambition and Goal-Scoring Hunger
Just when it seemed, given the lack of noteworthy chances, that the match was headed for extra time, both the Egyptians and the Australians were suddenly seized—out of nowhere—by a renewed sense of ambition and a hunger for goals:

• First, Ajdin Hrustić took a quick shot after winning the ball on the right edge of the penalty area, but his attempt was blocked (78').

• Then Metcalfe and Souttar created danger following an O’Neill free kick, but first the Egyptians blocked the attempt, and then an offensive foul was called (81').

• Then, for once, the “Pharaohs” were on the attack; Haissem Hassan sent in such a dangerous cross in front of the Australian goal that goalie Beach was forced to punch the ball away (86').

• After a corner kick by Hrustić, Irvine got a header off, but he didn’t connect cleanly and the ball was cleared (88th minute).

Patrick Beach(Bild: AP/Tony Gutierrez)

• After a corner kick was initially cleared, the Egyptians sent a cross from midfield into the penalty area, where Rabia was denied by nothing less than a miraculous save by Beach as he tried to head his team into the Round of 16 (94.).

• After a burst of energy from Salah, who dribbled into the penalty area on the right and delivered a perfect pass, Hassan took a shot from 13 meters and would likely have scored—had Souttar not intervened with a decisive deflection (95th minute).

Penalty shootout decides the match
Nothing else happened in the first 90 minutes plus stoppage time—and since extra time didn’t offer much either, the third penalty shootout of the 2026 World Cup had to decide the outcome. Since Captain Souttar blasted Australia’s first attempt into the rafters of AT&T Stadium and 19-year-old rising star Lucas Herrington hit the crossbar with his, the scales ultimately tipped in favor of the Egyptians, all of whose shooters scored…

The result:
Australia – Egypt 1–1 (1–1, 0–1) after extra time, 2–4 in the penalty shootout)
Dallas/Arlington, AT&T Stadium, 70,244 spectators, Referee Gustavo Tejera (URU)

Goals: 0–1 (13') Ashour, 1–1 (55'/own goal) Hany

Yellow cards: none / Elsaghir (coaching staff), Hassan, Ibrahim

Australia: Beach (Ryan, 119') – Circati, Souttar, Herrington – Bos (Trewin, 46'), Irvine, O'Neill (91. Okon-Engstler), Behich – Volpato (74. Hrustic), Irankunda (74. Toure), Metcalfe (91. Mabil)
Egypt: Shoubir – Hany, Ibrahim, Rabia, Hafez (80. Trezeguet) – Fathy (67. Abdelmaguid), Attia (121. Saber) – Ashour, Zico (67. Hassan), Marmoush (106. Abdelkarim) – Salah

Penalty shootout:
0–0 – Souttar misses (over the bar)
0:1 – Saber scores
1:1 – Irvine scores
1:2 – Rabia scores
2:2 – Mabil scores
2:3 – Salah scores
2:3 – Herrington misses (crossbar)
2–4 – Abdelmaguid scores